Locating plug

Claim 1

A one piece plastic locating fastener plug for pre-assembling a plurality of apertured workpieces prior to orienting said workpieces to a fixed final position, including a shank having an enlarged head at one end thereof and a pair of wing members in the opposite end thereof with the free ends of said wing members diverging from one another toward said head, said shank having a relatively wide axially extending generally parallel sided slot opening through the entering end of said fastener including both the shank and its juncture with the wing members thereby presenting spaced tapered entering end sections on each wing member, the closed end of said slot being apical in configuration and forming thinned diverging adjacent shank portions which act as resilient hinge connections between the unslotted shank portion and the wing members thereby permitting substantial collapse of the wing members to positions substantially parallel with the shank when forced through the workpiece apertures with the resultant spread of the entering end sections and widening of said slot while said wings traverse said apertures until the free ends of said wings have cleared said apertures, said slots further permitting reverse spreading movement of the free ends of said wing members on the blind side of the workpiece pre-assembly whereby the free ends of said wing members assume positions substantially normal to the shank and with the approach of the end sections toward one another substantially closing said slot and trapping the workpiece in pre-assembly, a first portion of said wing members having a substantial length extending from the free ends thereof, being thickened to create rigidity therein and an intermediate portion of said wing members between said thickened portion and the juncture with said shank hinge connection being transversely relieved to increase flexibility of the hinge connections to thereby assist in permitting the distention of the wings to the position normal to the shank.