Retaining device

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A THREADED FASTENER HAVING A NUT PORTION AND A BOLT PORTION, ONE OF SAID PORTIONS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATED SHANK AND PROVIDED WITH A HEAD AT ONE END OF SAID SHANK, SAID SHANK HAVING AN ANNULAR GROOVE AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF, THE END OF SAID GROOVE ADJACENT SAID HEAD BEING OUTWARDLY FLARING TOWARD SAID HEAD, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID GROOVE HAVING AN ABUTMENT SHOULDER, A RETAINING DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SEPARATION OF SAID SHANK FROM A WORKPIECE COMPRISING AN ANNULAR MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL, AND A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL RADIAL ANNULAR FLANGES AT THE ENDS OF SAID WALL, SAID FLANGES HAVING AN INSIDE DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID SHANK, AND SMALLER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID HEAD, AND A RESILIENT MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ANNULAR MEMBER, SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING OF SPLIT ANNULAR CONSTRUCTION AND FORMED OF RESILIENT SPRING WIRE OF UNDULATING CONTOUR TO PRESENT INNER PORTIONS OF JACENT SAID SHANK AND OUTER PORTIONS IN SAID RECEPTACLE INTERMEDIATE SAID FLANGES, SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING RESILIENTLY BIASED INWARDLY, WHEREBY SAID RESILIENT MEMBER IS ADAPTED TO ENTER SAID GROOVE FOR PREVENTING SEPARATION OF SAID SHANK FROM A WORKPIECE, THE UNDULATIONS OF SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING PROPORTIONED SO THAT WHEN SAID INNER PORTIONS OF SAID RESILIENT MEMBER ARE IN SAID GROOVE, OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID RESILIENT MEMBER ARE IN SAID RECEPTACLE INTERMEDIATE SAID FLANGES, SAID RESILIENT MEMBER BEING RADIALLY EXPANSIBLE UPON AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID SHANK TOWARD SAID HEAD ALONG SAID OUTWARDLY FLARING END OF SAID GROOVE AND DIMENSIONED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE WHEN SO EXPANDED, WHEREBY SAID RETAINING DEVICE IS AXIALLY SLIDABLE RELATIVE TO SAID SHANK.