Eaves Protector

Abstract

An eaves protector is provided that includes a soffit receiver and a soffit/fascia lock which are fastened to the eaves. A fascia plate and a soffit are engaged to the soffit receiver and the fascia/soffit lock. An optional fascia drip guard may be positioned above the fascia place to provide additional protection against the infiltration of water into the eaves and improve the appearance of the system. Some versions of the eaves protector require no fasteners to keep the soffit and fascia plate in place. Versions of the fascia/soffit lock and the soffit receiver are provided that can be simply and inexpensively manufactured from single pieces of folded material, such as sheet metal or vinyl. In a particular version of the eaves protector, the fascia drip guard, fascia/soffit lock, and soffit receiver may be manufactured to standard dimensions that will fit any building; the soffit and the fascia plate may be made of single sheets of easily worked material that can be custom-cut on site.

1 . An eaves protector comprising:
 (a) a fascia plate covering a portion of the outer surface of a fascia board of the eaves,
 the fascia plate comprising: 
 (1) a generally vertical fascia cover portion, 
 (2) a lock engagement portion, 
 (3) a central portion between the fascia cover portion and the lock engagement portion, and 
 (4) an upper plate edge along the top margin of the fascia cover portion; 
   (b) a fascia/soffit lock configured to be fastened to at least one of the fascia board and
 a soffit board of the eaves, comprising: 
 (1) an outer soffit slot, and 
 (2) a fascia plate engagement portion configured to engage the lock engagement portion of the fascia plate covering, such that the fascia/soffit lock at least partially supports the fascia plate when the system is fastened to the eaves; 
   (c) a soffit configured to fit into the outer soffit slot such that the soffit is at least partially supported by the fascia/soffit lock; and   (d) a soffit receiver configured to be fastened to at least one of the soffit board, a frieze board, and an exterior wall, the soffit receiver comprising:
 (1) an inner soffit slot configured to fit the soffit such that the soffit is at least partially supported by the soffit receiver, 
 (2) a siding niche configured to accept a top edge of a piece of siding, connected with and below the inner soffit slot when the system is fastened to the eaves, and 
 (3) a central portion connecting the inner soffit slot to the siding niche. 
   
     
     
         2 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the fascia plate forms a lower drip edge. 
     
     
         3 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the fascia plate comprises a decorative fascia shape. 
     
     
         4 . The eaves protector of  claim 3 , wherein the decorative fascia shape is the shape of a lower portion of a wooden fascia board. 
     
     
         5 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , further comprising a fascia drip guard configured to be fastened to the fascia board, comprising:
 (a) a fascia plate slot configured to fit the upper plate edge of the fascia plate, and   (b) an upper drip edge.   
     
     
         6 . The eaves protector of  claim 5 , wherein the fascia drip guard further comprises a decorative upper fascia shape. 
     
     
         7 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the soffit essentially consists of a layer of generally flat material. 
     
     
         8 . The eaves protector of  claim 7 , wherein the material is a rolled material selected from the group consisting of aluminum coil and vinyl. 
     
     
         9 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the lock engagement portion of the fascia plate comprises a locking lip, and wherein the fascia plate engagement portion of the fascia/soffit lock comprises a locking ridge configured to fit the locking lip. 
     
     
         10 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the soffit receiver comprises a decorative frieze shape. 
     
     
         11 . The eaves protector of  claim 10 , wherein the decorative frieze shape is selected from the group consisting of: the shape of a frieze board and the shape of a crown molding. 
     
     
         12 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the soffit receiver comprises a single piece of folded material comprising:
 (a) a hairpin fold forming the inner soffit slot,   (b) at least one niche fold forming the siding niche,   (b) an upper fold adjacent to the inner soffit slot, and   (c) a lower fold adjacent to the siding niche,   wherein the central portion of the soffit receiver is between the upper fold and the lower fold.   
     
     
         13 . The eaves protector of  claim 12 , wherein:
 (a) the inner soffit slot is generally perpendicular to the exterior wall of the building, and   (b) the siding niche is generally parallel to the exterior wall of the building.   
     
     
         14 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the fascia/soffit lock comprises a single piece of folded material comprising:
 (a) a first hairpin fold forming the outer soffit slot, and   (b) a first fold between the outer soffit slot and the fascia plate engagement portion.   
     
     
         15 . The eaves protector of  claim 14 , wherein the fascia/soffit lock further comprises a second hairpin fold adjacent to the first hairpin fold and on the opposite side of the first hairpin fold from the first fold, and a second fold on the opposite side of the second hairpin fold from the first fold, the second fold forming an upper portion generally parallel to the fascia board. 
     
     
         16 . The eaves protector of  claim 14 , wherein the fascia/soffit lock comprises:
 (a) an upper tongue configured to sit between the fascia board and the fascia plate when installed on the eaves;   (b) a lower tongue that is the fascia plate engagement portion; and   (c) a sigmoid midsection comprising and upper curve and a lower curve, the midsection being between the upper tongue and the lower tongue, wherein the lower curve defines the outer soffit slot.   
     
     
         17 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the soffit is configured to fit into at least one of the inner soffit slot and the outer soffit slot to allow some degree of movement of the soffit relative to said at least one of the inner soffit slot and the outer soffit slot. 
     
     
         18 . The eaves protector of  claim 1 , wherein the lock engagement portion is configured to engage the fascia plate engagement portion to allow some degree of movement of the fascia plate relative to the soffit/fascia lock. 
     
     
         19 . The eaves protector of  claim 5 , wherein the a fascia plate slot is configured to fit the upper plate edge to allow some degree of movement of the fascia plate relative to the fascia drip guard. 
     
     
         20 . A building comprising the eaves protector of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         21 . A method of installing an eaves protector to a building comprising fastening a component of the eaves protector of  claim 1  to a building component selected from the group consisting of: a fascia board, a soffit board, a frieze board, and an exterior wall. 
     
     
         22 . An eaves protector comprising:
 (a) a fascia plate covering a portion of the outer surface of a fascia board of the eaves, comprising:
 (1) a generally vertical fascia cover portion, 
 (2) an upturned lock engagement portion comprising a locking lip, and 
 (3) a central portion between the fascia cover portion and the lock engagement portion and comprising at least one fold to permit the upturned position of the lock engagement portion; 
   (b) a fascia/soffit lock configured to be fastened to at least one of the fascia board and a soffit board of the eaves, comprising:
 (1) an upper tongue configured to sit between the fascia board and the fascia plate when installed on the eaves, 
 (2) a lower tongue comprising a locking configuration, and 
 (3) a sigmoid midsection comprising and upper curve and a lower curve, the midsection being between the upper tongue and the lower tongue, wherein the lower curve defines an outer soffit slot; 
   (c) a soffit configured to fit into the outer soffit slot such that the soffit is at least partially supported by the fascia/soffit lock, the soffit essentially comprising a generally flat layer of material; and   (d) a soffit receiver configured to be fastened to at least one of the soffit board, a frieze board, and an exterior wall, the soffit receiver comprising:
 (1) a hairpin fold forming an inner soffit slot configured to fit the soffit such that the soffit is at least partially supported by the soffit receiver, 
 (2) a siding niche configured to accept a top edge of a piece of siding, connected with and below the inner soffit slot when the system is fastened to the eaves, and 
 (3) a central portion comprising a decorative frieze shape and connecting the inner soffit slot to the siding niche; 
 wherein the fascia plate, the fascia/soffit lock, and the soffit receiver are each formed from a single piece of folded material. 
   
     
     
         23 . A building comprising the eaves protector of  claim 22 . 
     
     
         24 . A method of installing an eaves protector to a building comprising fastening a component of the eaves protector of  claim 22  to a building component selected from the group consisting of: a fascia board, a soffit board, a frieze board, and an exterior wall.