Clinch nut

Claim 1

A PIERCING NUT OF TOUGH MATERIAL, SUCH AS STEEL, FOR USE IN A FASTENING AND PIERCING OPERATION WITH A PANEL OF TOUGH MATERIAL, SUCH AS STEEL, COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR BODY HAVING TWO OPPOSITELY EXTENDING FLANGES ONE EXTENDING FROM EACH END OF SAID NUT, SAID BODY HAVING TWO SEPARATE SHALLOW GROOVES UNDERCUT THEREIN ONE EXTENDING BETWEEN EACH SUCH FLANGE AND A POINT NEAR THE TOP OF SAID BODY TO PROVIDE A WALL AT THE BASE OF EACH OF SAID GROOVES AND A THICK, SHORT SHOULDER AT THE TOP OF SAID BODY ADJACENT EACH OF SAID GROOVES, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TOP OF SAID BODY AND THE TOP SURFACE OF EACH FLANGE BEING BETWEEN TWO AND THREE TIMES THE THICKNESS OF EACH SHOULDER, THE SIDES OF SAID BODY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH AND FLAT, SAID WALLS EXTENDING FROM SAID FLANGES TO SAID SHOULDERS AND SAID SHOULDERS BEING SUFFICIENTLY THICK TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY STRENGTH FOR WITHSTANDING A PIERCING OPERATION, SAID SHOULDERS ALSO BEING CONSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY SQUARE TOP FACE ON SAID NUT WHICH TOP FACE IS SURROUNDED BY FLAT VERTICAL SIDES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM SO THAT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID TOP FACE PROVIDES AN EFFICIENT SUBSTANTIALLY SQUARED PIERCING EDGE FOR PIERCING A SUITABLE HOLE IN A PANEL, SAID BODY ALSO HAVING A THREADED HOLE THERETHROUGH WHICH IS SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY SUFFICIENT MATERIAL IN STRUCTURALLY SOUND PROPORTION TO PREVENT DISTORTION OF THE THREADS WHEN THE NUT IS USED IN THE PIERCING OPERATION.