Self-locking fastener

Claim 1

IN A THREADED FASTENER OF THE TYPE HAVING A HEAD AND A SHANK, THE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING, SAID SHANK BEING PROVIDED WITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT WHICH INITIALLY HAS PARALLEL FACES AND WHICH EXTENDS FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROM THE END OF THE SHANK TOWARD THE HEAD AND IS OPEN AT THE END AND AT THE SIDES OF THE SHANK, THREADS AT SAID END OF THE SHANK, WHICH THREADS EXT END FOR A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE END OF THE SHANK AND INCREASE IN DIAMETER FROM SAID END, OTHER THREADS OF LARGER DIAMETER WHICH CONTINUE ALONG THE SLOTTED PORTION OF THE SHANK FROM THE FIRST MENTIONED THREADS, AND A ONE-PIECE TAPERED WEDGE OF RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL FITTED INTO SAID SLOT AND YIELDABLY ENGAGING SAID SLOT FACES SO THAT THE LATTER DIVERGE TOWARD SAID END OF THE SHANK, THEREBY YIELDABLY MAINTAINING LATERALLY OPPOSED SEGMENTS OF THE FIRST MENTIONED THREADS SPREAD APART TO INTERFIT WITH THREADS IN AN ASSOCIATED INTERIORLY THREADED MEMBER, AND ALSO YIELDABLY MAINTAINING LATERALLY OPPOSED SEGMENTS OF THE SECOND MENTIONED THREADS SPREAD SPREAD APART BEYOND THE DIAMETER OF THE THREADS IN SAID ASSOCIATED MEMBER, THE ACTION OF SAID WEDGE CONSTITUTING THE SOLE FORCE YIELDABLY HOLDING SAID LATERALLY OPPOSED SEGMENTS APART IN SPREAD RELATION, WHEREBY WHEN SAID ASSOCIATED MEMBER IS THREADED ONTO THE FIRST MENTIONED THREADS AND THEN THREADED ONTO THE FIRST MENTIONED THREADS ONTO THE SECOND METNIONED THREADS IT WILL FORCIBLY CONTRACT THE SLOTTED PORTION OF THE SHANK AGAINST THE WEDGE TO RETURN SAID FACES TO THEIR INITIALLY PARALLEL RELATION, THEREBY SECURING THE ASSOCIATED MEMBER TIGHTLY IN PLACE, SAID SEGMENTS BEING SPREAD APART BY THE WEDGE TO AN EXTENT LESSL THAN THEIR ELASTIC LIMIT, WHEREBY SAID WEDGE IS RETAINED IN THE SLOT BY THE SQUEEZING ACTION OF SAID SEGMENTS THEREON.