Metal strap joint

Claim 1

A JOINT FOR INTERCONNECTING THE OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF A METAL BINDING STRAP AFTER SAID STRAP HAS BEEN LOOPED ABOUT A PACKAGE OR THE LIKE, EACH STRAP PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE INCISIONS THEREIN WHICH ARE ORIENTED GENERALLY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID STRAP AND FORM A LONGITUDINAL TONGUE THEREBETWEEN, EACH OF SAID TONGUES HAVING, INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, A CROWN OF MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE REMAINING LATERALLY ADJACENT PARTS OF THE STRAP PORTION, SAID INCISIONS EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER OVER AT LEAST PART OF THEIR LENGTH, WHEREBY SAID TONGUE AND THE OPENING BETWEEN SAID LATERALLY ADJACENT PARTS HAVE RELATIVELY BROAD AND RELATIVELY NARROW SECTIONS, THE CROWN OF THE TONGUE OF ONE OF SAID STRAP PORTIONS BEING LOCATED IN A RELATIVELY NARROW SECTION THEREOF, AND THE CROWN OF THE TONGUE OF THE OTHER OF SAID STRAP PORTIONS BEING LOCATED IN A RELATIVELY BROAD SECTION THEREOF, WHEREBY WHEN THE STRAP PORTIONS ARE DISPOSED WITH THEIR TONGUES IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP, SAID CROWN WILL BE OFFSET LONGITUDINALLY, AND WHEN SAID STRAP PORTIONS ARE MOVED RELATIVELY IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION, THE RELATIVELY BROAD SECTION OF THE TONGUE OF SAID ONE STRAP PORTION WILL ENGAGE THE LATERALLY ADJACENT PARTS OF SAID OTHER STRAP PORTION DIFINING THE RELATIVELY NARROW SECTION OF THE OPENING THEREBETWEEN.