Fastener

Claim 1

A FASTENER FOR FORMING LAP JOINTS WHEREIN THE FASTENER IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT COMPRISING A SHEET METAL PLATE IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED STRIP, FIRST TOOTH MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF THREE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TEETH IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER STRUCK FROM THE PLATE TO LEAVE A SINGLE SLOT AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR THERETO, THE ENDS OF THE TEETH HAVING INCLINED SURFACES SUCH THAT MOVEMENT OF THE TEETH INTO ONE OF THE MEMBERS CAUSES THE TEETH TO DEPART FROM THE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLATE AND TO CREATE A THREE-WAY CLINCHING ACTION IN THE MEMBER, THE INCLINED SURFACES BEING BEVELED AT THE ENDS OF THE TEETH, THE INCLINED SURFACE ON EACH TOOTH OF THE OUTERMOST TEETH OF THE FIRST TOOTH MEANS BEING NONSYMMETRICAL RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THAT TOOTH, THE CENTER TOOTH IN EACH OF THE FIRST TOOTH MEANS HAVING INCLINED SURFACES WHICH ARE SYMMETRICAL RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CENTER TOOTH, AND A SECOND TOOTH MEANS STRUCK FROM THE PLATE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THE FIRST TOOTH MEANS, THE SECOND TOOTH MEANS BEING ADATPED TO BE EMBEDDED IN THE OTHER OF THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT.