Fastener assemblage

Claim 1

An assemblage of collated fasteners for use in a fastenerdriving tool wherein successive fasteners are driven by the tool from the assemblage into a workpiece, said assemblage comprising a plurality of fasteners, each fastener having an elongated shank provided with a leading end and a trailing end, the fastener shanks being disposed in spaced, substantially parallel relation; and a plurality of spaced elongated flexible strips angularly disposed relative to, and interconnecting said shanks, one strip being disposed closest to the shank trailing ends and a second strip being disposed closest to the shank leading ends; each strip including sleeve portions encompassing said shanks, web portions interconnecting adjoining sleeve portions, and an elongated reinforcing rib formed in each web portion and spanning the distance between adjoining sleeve portions and retaining same in predetermined spaced relation; the thickness of said web portions being less than the thickness of either said sleeve portion or said reinforcing rib; the reinforcing ribs of one strip being angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis thereof whereby the latter is less resistant to a force tending to move adjacent fastener shanks together than any other of said strips; each reinforcing rib of the one of said strips causing controlled fracturing of the web portion between an endmost fastener and the next-in-line fastener along a line substantially parallel to the fastener shank and adjacent the sleeve portion accommodating the next-in-line fastener when said endmost fastener is driven endwise by the tool into the workpiece.