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US-20260124814-A1 - LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE WINDOW WELL

US20260124814A1US 20260124814 A1US20260124814 A1US 20260124814A1US-20260124814-A1

Abstract

A lightweight and durable window well is composed of a long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT). The lightweight and durable window well has at least some fibers that are omnidirectional relative to the other fibers in the thermoplastic. Additionally, at least some fibers of the LFRT have a length greater than 40 mm. The window well also has a body having a plurality of ribs interposed between a plurality of wall surface portions. Additionally, each rib is positioned between two different wall surface portions and is defined by a variable height and a variable depth. Furthermore, the wall surface portions have a variable thickness that varies from a minimal thickness of less than 3 mm to a maximum thickness of greater than 5 mm, with the wall surface being thicker near the ribs than at portions furthest from the ribs in the wall surface.

Inventors

  • Vaughn Allen Cook
  • David Wayne Hoagland
  • Rodney William Slade
  • Kaleb Vaughn Cook

Assignees

  • ROCKWELL LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20260105

Claims (17)

  1. 1 . A window well composed of a plurality of long fibers forming a long fiber reinforced thermoplastic forming a body having a plurality of ribs, wherein at least one of said ribs has a variable vertical height wherein the variable vertical height is parallel to a major face of the body, wherein at least some long fibers within the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic are omnidirectional, relative to other long fibers in the thermoplastic, and have a length of greater than 10 mm, wherein the variable vertical height of the at least one rib having a variable vertical height includes a smaller height in a center of the body and a greater height at ends of the body when the window well is in an installed position.
  2. 2 . The window well of claim 1 , wherein said at least some fibers within the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length of greater than 12.5 mm.
  3. 3 . The window well of claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic comprises polypropylene.
  4. 4 . The window well of claim 1 , wherein the window well further comprises a fabric veil on top of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic.
  5. 5 . The window well of claim 4 , wherein the fabric veil blocks underlying fibers of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic, which fibers may otherwise be unsightly.
  6. 6 . The window well of claim 4 , wherein the fabric veil minimizes the appearance of blemishes and improves final aesthetics of an exterior of the window well.
  7. 7 . The window well of claim 1 , wherein the window well has a varying wall thickness.
  8. 8 . The window well of claim 7 , wherein the wall thickness of the window well has a minimal thickness of less than 3 mm and a maximum thickness of greater than 5 mm, wherein the wall thickness is thicker adjacent the ribs as compared to portions of the window well away from the ribs.
  9. 9 . A window well composed of a plurality of fibers forming a fiber reinforced thermoplastic body having a plurality of ribs, wherein at least one of said ribs has a variable vertical height wherein the variable vertical height is parallel to a major face of the body, wherein at least some fibers within the fiber reinforced thermoplastic body are omnidirectional, relative to other fibers in the thermoplastic body, wherein the variable vertical height of the at least one rib having a variable vertical height includes a smaller height in a center of the body and a greater height at ends of the body when the window well is in an installed position.
  10. 10 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein at least some fibers within the fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length of greater than about 6 mm.
  11. 11 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein at least some fibers within the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length of greater than about 10 mm.
  12. 12 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein at least some fibers within the fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length of greater than about 12.5 mm.
  13. 13 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic body comprises polypropylene.
  14. 14 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein the window well further comprises a fabric veil on top of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic body.
  15. 15 . The window well of claim 14 , wherein the fabric veil minimizes the appearance of blemishes and improves final aesthetics of an exterior of the window well.
  16. 16 . The window well of claim 9 , wherein the window well has a varying wall thickness.
  17. 17 . The window well of claim 16 , wherein the wall thickness of the window well has a minimal thickness of less than 3 mm and a maximum thickness of greater than 5 mm, wherein the wall thickness is thicker adjacent the ribs as compared to portions of the window well away from the ribs.

Description

This application is a divisional under 35 USC 121 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/204,753 filed on Jun. 1, 2023, entitled “PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE WINDOW WELL,” which is a divisional under 35 USC 121 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/925,759 filed on Jul. 10, 2020, entitled “LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE WINDOW WELL,” which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/874,844 filed on Jul. 16, 2019, entitled “LIGHTWEIGHT AND DURABLE WINDOW WELL,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/979,264 filed on Feb. 20, 2020, entitled “MODULAR INSERT FOR A WINDOW WELL,” U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/979,265 filed on Feb. 20, 2020, entitled “VEIL PRINTING PROCESSES FOR MOLDING THERMOPLASTIC WINDOW WELLS,” U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/013,268 filed on Apr. 21, 2020, entitled “MODULAR STEP FOR A WINDOW WELL,” United States Design patent application Ser. No. 29/713,875 filed on Nov. 19, 2019, entitled “WINDOW WELL,” and United States Design patent application Ser. No. 29/713,876 filed on Nov. 19, 2019, entitled “WINDOW WELL EXTENSION,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Technical Field This disclosure generally relates to window wells. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to lightweight and durable window wells. Related Technology A window well is one type of a building component that can be used to hold back dirt and other material from a window that is below ground level. A typical window well is embodied as a U-shaped wall formed out of metal. One purpose of a window well is to let natural light into basement windows, while also providing an access point for entry/escape, should it be necessary. Window wells are often attached directly to a building structure and are visible from both the inside and outside of the building structure. Additionally, window wells must be strong enough to hold back and retain backfill soils without deflecting. Many window wells are made of steel or a similar metal, which makes them relatively heavy and difficult/expensive to transport. Additionally, metal window wells can be easily damaged during transportation and installation. Even after installation, a metal window well can be damaged. For instance, a window well can be impacted by other devices after the window well has been installed. When a damaged window well needs to be replaced, it can be an expensive and time intensive process to excavate and replace an installed window well. Additionally, since the window wells are exposed to the elements, they can become corroded and rust (depending on their material composition). Even when not corroded, metal window wells can be somewhat unattractive. Furthermore, it is difficult to make a metal window well look like a natural material or be aesthetically pleasing. Some window wells are manufactured out of plastic materials, which makes them easier to apply an aesthetic texture to. However, the improved aesthetics often come at a cost of sacrificing durability and strength. In particular, existing window wells manufactured out of current plastic materials are typically not strong enough to compete with metal window wells because the types of plastic that are suitable for injection molding or rotomolding (the typical processes used for manufacturing plastic window wells), for example, cannot be used to manufacture a layered or reinforced plastic material. Accordingly, there is a need for a window well that is durable, lightweight and visually attractive. Additionally, there is a need for improving techniques for repairing and replacing window wells. The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced. BRIEF SUMMARY Disclosed embodiments relate to lightweight and durable window wells composed of long fiber reinforced thermoplastic. In some embodiments, the window well has at least some fibers that are omnidirectional relative to the other fibers in the thermoplastic. Additionally, at least some fibers of the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length greater than 40 mm. In some embodiments, at least some of the fibers of the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length greater than 60 mm. Additionally, in some embodiments, at least some of the fibers of the long fiber reinforced thermoplastic have a length of greater than 100 mm. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the window well is composed of long fiber reinforced polypropylene that is reinforced with glass fibers. In some embodiments, the window well is composed of fiber reinforced thermoplastic and has a body having a plurality of ribs interposed between a plurality of wall surface portions. Additionally, each rib is p