Aligning and locking device

Claim 1

A COMBINATION ALIGNING A LOCKING DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING A PAIR OF MEMBERS HAVING A CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN CENTERED WITH EACH OTHER AND FOR INTERCONNECTING THE MEMBERS TO PREVENT RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN, COMPRISING A STRIP OF RESILIENT SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS AND BENT TO FORM AN ANNULUS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED IN SAID CLEARANCE, AND SAID ANNULUS HAVING PROJECTIONS EXTENDING INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND DEFINING RELATIVELY SHARP, FREE EDGES SPACED FROM SAID ANNULUS, THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID EDGES OF SAID INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PROJECTIONS BEING GREATER THAN THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS, WHEREBY THE EDGES OF SAID PROJECTIONS ENGAGE THE ADJACENT SURFACES OF SAID MEMBERS WHEN SAID DEVICE IS INSERTED THEREBETWEEN, SAID DEVICE THEREBY BEING EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN SAID MEMBERS CENTERED WITH EACH OTHER AND TO PREVENT RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID PROJECTIONS BEING ELONGATED AXIALLY OF THE ANNULUS TO PROVIDE ELONGATED EDGES ENGAGING SAID MEMBER, SAID PROJECTIONS COMPRISING PARTIALLY SEVERED PORTIONS OF THE MATERIAL OF SAID STRIP BENT THEREFROM, SAID PARTIALLY SEVERED PORTIONS BEING FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY EXTENDING SLITS IN SAID ANNULUS, THE ENDS OF SAID SLITSD INCLUDING PORTIONS EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID ANNULUS SO THAT THE ENTIRE EDGES OF EACH PROJECTION ENGAGES ONE OF SAID MEMBERS, SAID CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING END PORTIONS OF SAID SLITS BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID ANNULUS TO PROVIDE BAND PORTIONS AT BOTH ENDS OF SAID ANNULUS TYING SAID PROJECTIONS TOGETHER.