Connector plate

Claim 1

A CONNECTOR PLATE FOR JOINING TOGETHER ABUTTING WOOD MEMBERS COMPRISING: A SHEET HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THEREIN, EACH OPENING HAVING A SINGLE TOOTH PROJECTING THEREFROM, SAID TOOTH PROJECTING FROM ONE SIDE OF EACH OPENING, SAID ONE SIDE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT, SAID OPENINGS BEING IN THE SHAPE OF THE PROFILE OF THE TOOTH AND BEING ARRANGED IN A PLURALITY OF ROWS, SAID TOOTH HAVING A ROOT PORTION JOINED TO THE SHEET AND A SHANK PORTION JOINED TO THE ROOT PORTION AND AN END PORTION JOINED TO THE SHANK PORTION, SAID ROOT PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND BEING WIDER THAN SAID SHANK PORTION AND END PORTION, SAID ROOT PORTION HAVING OPPOSITE EDGES CONVERGING TOWARD SAID SHANK PORTION, ONE OF SAID ROOT PORTION EDGES HAVING A GREATER LENGTH THAN THE OPPOSITE ROOT PORTION EDGE, SAID SHANK PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER WIDTH THAN THICKNESS AND A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH, SAID ROOT AND SHANK PORTION BEING ANGULARLY INCLINED TOWARD SAID OPENING WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANE OF SAID SHEET, SAID END PORTION BEING ANGULARLY INCLINED AWAY FROM SAID OPENING WITH RESPECT TO THE PLANE OF SAID SHEET, SAID END PORTION HAVING OPPOSITE EDGES, ONE OF SAID END PORTION EDGES BEING A CONTINUATION OF SAID SHANK EDGE ADJACENT SAID ONE ROOT PORTION EDGE AND THE OTHER OF SAID END PORTION EDGES BEING INCLINED AT AN ACUTE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE END PORTION EDGE TO DEFINE A PENETRATING POINT, SAID OPENING HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE EDGES OF THE OPENING WHICH CORRESPOND TO SAID SHANK PORTION, SAID STRAIGHT SIDE DEFINING AN AXIS INTERSECTING SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS AT AN ACUTE ANGLE, WHEREBY THE TOOTH IS DEFORMED UPON BEING INSERTED IN WOOD MEMBERS AND RESISTS WITHDRAWAL.