Aligning and retaining prong and method of assembling apertured mating members

Claim 1

AN ALIGNING AND RETAINING PRONG COMPRISING A COMPRESSIBLE, RESILIENT ELONGATED WEDGE-SHAPED SECTION HAVING ONE END DIMENSIONED TO EXTEND THROUGH ALIGNED APERTURES IN A GASKET AND IN ONE OF TWO MATING PARTS THAT ARE TO BE HELD TOGETHER WITH SAID GASKET INTERPOSED BETWEEN THEIR MEETING EDGES, AND A PORTION HAVING A TRANSVERSE WIDTH GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID ALIGNING APERTURES, SAID WIDER PORTION BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ALIGNED APERTURES TO HOLD SAID GASKET AGAINST ACCIDENTAL DISPLACEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID ONE MATING PART.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN APERTURED GASKET WITH MATING PARTS HAVING APERTURES IN THEIR MEETING EDGES SPACED TO CONFORM TO THE SPACING OF THE APERTURES OF SAID GASKET, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF POSITIONING THE GASKET ON ONE OF SAID MATING PARTS WITH THE APERTURES OF SAID GASKET AND SAID ONE MATING PART IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT, INSERTING WEDGE-SHAPED COMPRESSIBLE, RESILIENT PRONGS INTO A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SAID AXIALLY ALIGNED APERTURES, PULLING SAID PRONGS PARTIALLY THROUGH SAID APERTURES INTO A TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, POSITIONING SAID FIRST MATING PART, WITH SAID GASKET HELD THEREAGAINST, INTO MATING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID SECOND MATING PART WITH PROJECTING SECTIONS OF SAID PRONGS EXTENDING INTO APERTURES IN SAID SECOND MATING PART, PULLING ONE PRONG OUT OF ITS ALIGNED APERTURES, INSERTING A PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER INTO THE ALIGNED APERTURES FROM WHICH SAID ONE PRONG HAS BEEN REMOVED WHILE SAID GASKET AND MATING PARTS ARE HELD IN POSITION BY OTHER PRONGS, SECURING SAID PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER IN PLACE, AND THEREAFTER REPLACING EACH PRONG BY A PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER AS A SEPARATE OPERATION.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN APERTURED GASKET WITH MATING PARTS HAVING APERTURES IN THEIR MEETING EDGES SPACED TO CONFORM TO THE SPACING OF THE APERTURES OF SAID GASKET, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF POSITIONING THE GASKET ON ONE OF SAID MATING PARTS WITH THE APERTURES OF SAID GASKET AND SAID ONE MATING PART IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT, INSERTING WEDGE-SHAPED COMPRESSIBLE, RESILIENT PRONGS INTO A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SAID AXIALLY ALIGNED APERTURES, PULLING SAID PRONGS PARTIALLY THROUGH SAID APERTURES INTO A TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, POSITIONING SAID FIRST MATING PART, WITH SAID GASKET HELD THEREAGAINST, INTO MATING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID SECOND MATING PART WITH PROJECTING SECTIONS OF SAID PRONGS EXTENDING INTO APERTURES IN SAID SECOND MATING PART, PULLING ONE PRONG OUT OF ITS ALIGNED APERTURES, INSERTING A PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER INTO THE ALIGNED APERTURES FROM WHICH SAID ONE PRONG HAS BEEN REMOVED WHILE SAID GASKET AND MATING PARTS ARE HELD IN POSITION BY OTHER PRONGS, SECURING SAID PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER IN PLACE, AND THEREAFTER REPLACING EACH PRONG BY A PERMANENT FASTENING MEMBER AS A SEPARATE OPERATION.