1. Field
This invention relates to window wells which are positioned around windows which are partly or wholly below grade. More particularly, the invention pertains to such window wells which are made of sheet metal.
2. State of the Art
It is conventional to place a window well around a below grade window, such as a window in the basement wall of a building. Such windows are generally near the upper side of the basement wall but either partly or wholly below grade. In either situation, it is customary to place a window well around the window to protect the window from backfill and other damage. Such window wells have commonly been made from poured concrete, brick or block masonry, and preformed, galvanized metal units.
The concrete and masonry wells are formed by excavating the earth to the desired depth adjacent to the window opening and then pouring a concrete well or forming a masonry well around the window opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,308,131, a window well is disclosed which comprises a plurality of precast concrete members which are then disposed vertically in superposed order.
Because of decreased costs and ease of construction, preformed window well units made of galvanized sheet metal have generally replaced poured concrete and masonry window wells. The sheet metal wells have a broad U-shaped horizontal cross section, and the sheet metal is generally provided with horizontal corrugations to provide stability and strength. The sheet metal wells were formed to fit a particular opening dimension, and thus large inventories of the wells were required to cover the various sizes of openings used in the construction industry.
3. Objectives
It is a principal objective of the present invention to provide novel, sheet metal well units which are made in a uniform height and in standard widths, with the units of any standard width being capable of being locked together one on top of another of the same width to form wells having various heights. The inventory necessary to cover the various sizes of openings can accordingly be greatly reduced. A number of units in each standard width can be used to quickly form wells of any height which is a multiple of the uniform height dimension of the individual units. Thus, insread of maintaining a large, bulky inventory comprising several wells, each well of different height and width used in the construction industry, the supplier need only stock a limited number of well units of the present invention corresponding to standard widths of wells used in the industry. From such a limited inventory, wells can be made of numerous different heights.