GB2498327A - Fastening member - Google Patents

Abstract

A fastening member 1 comprises an elongate body having a first plane, a first end and a second end. A first attachment means is arranged close to the first end and a second attachment means is arranged close to the second end. The second attachment means is provided with an engaging means 11 projecting from the first plane. The engaging means 11 is provided with an engaging member comprising a first cross-sectional dimension and a second cross-sectional dimension. The first cross-sectional dimension is larger than the second cross-sectional dimension.

Description

FASTENING MEMBER AND A FASTENING SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a fastening member, comprising an elongate body having a first plane, a first end and a second end, a first attachment means arranged close to the first end and a second attachment means arranged close to the second end.

During building construction or building renovation, the inner or outer walls of a building are often covered with an aesthetically pleasing surface layer of material, such as plas-ter, cement, stucco or wood panels. When the wall is provided with a surface layer that is intended to be painted, any attachment may be hidden behind a layer of spackle that is painted subsequently.

However, when working with panels, such as wood panels, where the surface finish of the wood is intended to give a specific aesthetic look, it is difficult to hide any attach- ment means provided in the externally facing surface area of the panels. Such attach-ment means may be screws, nails, etc. Wood panels are often bonded to the surface of the wall to be covered by an adhesive or glue so that the panels may be securely at-tached to the wall where the panels are arranged in a seamless fashion. A drawback to such an attachment arrangement is that the adhesive or bond may damage the outer surface of the wall and/or the inner surface of the panels, and it is quite difficult to re-place or remove the panels without damaging the panels.

One method of solving this is to provide brackets that are mechanically attached to the side surface of the panels using screws or nails and where the bracket is subsequently attached to the wall using attachment means, such as screws. These brackets are of- ten located in the seam between two or more panels, which often means that the pan-els have gaps between them. When a panel is used for e.g. the insulation of an exterior wall, where the panels are arranged on the interior surface of an exterior wall, such gaps allow heat exchange between the interior surface and the ambient air.

Thus, an improved attachment means and system, which allow panels to be attached to walls where the attachment means are hidden from view and where the side walls of the panels abut each other, have to be provided.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a fastening member, comprising an elongate body having a first plane, a first end and a second end, a first attachment means arranged close to the first end, a second attachment means arranged close to the second end, where the second attachment means is provided with an engaging means projecting from the first plane and where the engaging means is provided with an engaging member comprising a first cross sectional dimension and a second cross sectional dimension, where the first cross sectional dimension is larger than the second cross sectional dimension. The fastening member may be seen as a coupling device between an item that needs mounting, e.g. to a wall surface, and the wall surface. The engaging means projecting from the elongate body may be projected into the item and overlap the cross-sectional dimension of the item. Thus, by providing engaging means projecting from the first plane, it is possible to align the plane of the elongate body in parallel with the item to which the engaging means will couple. Thus, the elongate body may be provided so that the cross-sectional dimension of the fastening member will not add a significant area to the cross-sectional dimension of the item to be fastened.

Furthermore, by providing the engaging means with an engaging member having a first cross-sectional dimension that is larger than the second cross-sectional dimension, the mounting of the fastening member to the item to be mounted may be performed by having a reciprocating receiving means in the item that has substantially matching third and fourth cross-sectional dimensions, respectively. This means that by inserting the engaging member into the receiving means, where the matching cross sectional di-mensions allow the engaging member to enter the receiving means, it is possible to manoeuvre the engaging means in such a way that the first cross-sectional dimension of the engaging member engages the smaller fourth cross-sectional dimension of the second engaging means, so that the difference in size between the two dimensions fixes or fastens the engaging means to the receiving means. In order to achieve this, it may be advantageous that the fourth cross-sectional dimension is smaller than the first cross-sectional dimension.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first and the second cross-sectional dimen-sions may be at a substantially right angle to each other, in the substantially same plane.

In one embodiment of the invention, the engaging means may comprise a part having a first end attached to the elongate body and a second free end. Thus, the part projects from the elongate body where the first end ensures that the engaging means is coupled securely to the elongate body, and the second end projects outwards from the elongate body and away from the elongate body. In alternative embodiments, the engaging means may comprise more than one part having a first and a second end.

In one embodiment of the invention, the engaging member may be provided at the second free end. Thus, the engaging member is arranged at a predetermined distance away from the elongate body, which allows the projecting part to enter a receiving means of the item to be mounted. Furthermore, the distance between the elongate body and the engaging means may be adjusted based on the nature of the item to be mounted. If the item is a wooden structure, the depth of the receiving means may be different from an item with a metal structure as the metal may have greater rigidity and less elasticity than the wooden structure. Thus, in order to achieve an effective en-gagement between the fastening member and the wooden structure, the engaging member may have a penetration distance that is larger than when using a different ma-terial. The specific penetration distance for the engaging member may be adjusted in accordance with the material choice of the item, i.e. the construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the engaging member may be provided with at least one protrusion adapted to engage a receiving means of a construction member.

By providing an engagement member with a protrusion, the protrusion may operate as a leading edge when engaging with the construction member. Thus, the protrusion pro-vides the force over a smaller area than the force provided with no protrusion, which may increase the friction or engagement between the engagement member and the construction member. Thus, the protrusion may improve the coupling between the en-gagement member, i.e. the fastening member, and the construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one protrusion may have a sharp tip allowing the protrusion to be driven into a softer material of the receiving means of the construction member. This means that the sharp tip is used to penetrate a soft material ensuring that the engagement member has a firm and secure coupling to a construc-tion member. The engagement member may be constructed in a metal, such as steel, while the construction member is made in wood, thermoplastic or a material being softer than the metal. Thus, the sharp tip may penetrate the material in one or more places ensuring that the engagement member is securely fastened to the construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first cross-sectional dimension and/or the sec-ond cross-sectional dimension of the engaging member may be substantially parallel to the first plane. This means that when the first and the second cross-sectional dimen-sions are used to attach the fastening member to a construction member, the engaging means protrudes from the first plane, and the engaging means may be inserted into the construction member. Thus, the first plane may be parallel to the surface of the con- struction member, and by rotating the fastening member along the first plane, the en-gaging means, which are provided with the first and second cross-sectional dimension, rotate along with the fastening member, and engage the fourth cross-sectional diame-ter of the receiving means of a construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the elongate body may comprise at least one rein-forcement means at its periphery. The reinforcement means is provided to increase the rigidity of the elongate body in order to reduce the risk of the elongate body being bent out of its original shape during installation, mounting or use. The elongate body may be made of a sheet material where the periphery of the sheet material is folded away from the plane of the elongate body to provide rigidity in an alternative direction to the direc-tion of the rigidity of the planar elongate body. A planar elongate body may provide a maximum rigidity against forces applied in a direction parallel to the plane, where a fold in the periphery may provide an increased rigidity in a direction different from a direc-tion parallel to the plane of the elongate body. Thus, the risk that the elongate body will buckle or bend during installation or use is minimised by providing a reinforcement means. In one embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcement means may be provided on the planar body at positions that are distant from the periphery, such as towards a centre axis of the elongate body.

In one embodiment of the invention, the material of the engaging means may be inte-gral with the material of the elongate body. Thus, the form of the engaging means may be folded, stamped, cut etc. out of the planar elongate body, so that the engaging means is part of the elongate body. The engaging means may be cut out of a sheet material forming the elongate body and bent or folded from the plane of the sheet ma- terial so as to protrude from the elongate body. Thus, the production process of the fas-tening member may be simplified as the engaging means does not have to be added in a separate production process to the elongate body. In other embodiments, the engag-ing means may be separate from the planar body, where the separate engaging means is joined securely to the planar body, using a weld, adhesive, upsetting or any form of mechanical or chemical joining to the elongate body. This may be advantageous if the engaging means is in the form of a different material than that of the elongate body, where the body might be in a plastic material while the engaging means may be in a metal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the elongate body may be of a sheet metal. The sheet metal material may be in stainless steel, steel, aluminium, copper, surface-treated metal or any metal suitable for a specific purpose. It is a straightforward choice for the person skilled in the art based on the teachings of the present invention to de-termine the metals suitable for provision of the elongate body. The sheet metal material may be of a thickness between 0.5 and 10 mm, or in one embodiment between 0.7 and mm, or more preferred between 1 and 3 mm, or in one embodiment 1.5 mm. The specific choice of thickness depends on the required strength of the fastening member and the form, shape and size of the fastening member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the engaging means may be cut into the sheet metal and is bent at a substantially right angle to the elongate body allowing the engag-ing means to protrude from the plane of the elongate body. Thus, the addition of the engaging means to the elongate body is provided as a simple solution that does not require an additional production step of joining the engaging means to the elongate body. The sheet metal of the elongate body may be provided so that the cutting of the engaging means of the elongate body does not reduce the strength of the fastening member below a predetermined level as the sheet metal may be of a shape, size and dimension that allows a certain part of the elongate sheet to be removed without risking a significant reduction in the integrity of the fastening member. Furthermore, the area of the sheet metal, which is cut, may be positioned so that the structural integrity of the first attachment means is not compromised.

According to the invention, there is also provided a fastening system comprising: a fas- tening member as previously disclosed, a construction member comprising a first sur-face, and a second surface provided with a receiving means for receiving the engaging means of the fastening member, where the receiving means has a third cross-sectional dimension, which is larger than the second cross-sectional dimension, and a fourth cross-sectional dimension, which is smaller than the first cross-sectional dimension.

Thus, the construction member may be specifically made so that the dimensions of the receiving means may have the exact matching dimensions as the engaging means or specifically, the engaging member of the fastening member. This allows the fastening member to be attached to the construction member, and using one or more fastening members, the construction member may be mounted to a surface, wall or a suitable area.

The fastening member may be constructed in such a way that when attached to the construction member, the dimensions of the fastening member allow the first attach-ment means to extend beyond the dimensions of the construction member allowing the fastening member to be dispositioned between the mounting area and the construction member. Thus, as the first attachment means extends beyond the dimensions of the construction member, a fastening means, such as a nail or a screw, may be inserted into the first attachment means where the construction member does not block access to the first attachment means. Thus, effectively, when the fastening member is at-tached to the construction member, the first attachment means may be offset from the receiving means of the construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the third cross-sectional dimension and the fourth cross-sectional dimension of the receiving means may be arranged in the same plane and are arranged at a substantially right angle to each other. Thus, the engaging means of the fastening member may be inserted into the receiving means at a prede-fined angle and subsequently rotated approximately 90 degrees so that the engaging means engages the receiving means of the construction member. The predefined an- gle may be where the longitudinal axis of the fastening member is parallel to the longi-tudinal axis of the construction member, and where the rotational manoeuvring brings the longitudinal axis of the fastening member to a right angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the fastening member. This means that the plane of the fastening member and a plane defined by the width of the construction member are rotated relative to each other.

In one embodiment of the invention, the construction member may be of a wood mate-rial. The wood construction member may be used as a facing for walls, where the wood may be used instead of the bare construction material or such facings as plaster. When using the fastening members according to the invention in the system, the wood panels may be attached to the wall without having to insert screws or other fastening means into the wood material from one side to the other as is the conventional method of fas- tening panels to a surface. When mounted and engaged to the wood material, the fas-tening members are accessible at an area extending beyond the dimensions of the wood, and the screws may be inserted into the wall through the first attachment means without damaging the wood. Thus, the fastening members operate as blind" attach-ment means, i.e. attachment means hidden behind the panels. When a second wood construction member is attached to the wall, the second construction member is posi-tioned to abut the first construction member, i.e. starching the construction members, and thus hiding the fastening members holding the first construction member.

In one embodiment of the invention, the receiving means may be a depression in the wood material. By having the receiving means as a depression, the engaging means may enter the depression and extend into the mass of the wood material for engage-ment purposes.

In one embodiment of the invention, the receiving means may be a groove extending along a longitudinal axis of the construction member. The groove may extend along the entire length of the construction member or parts thereof, which means that the con-struction worker may choose the position of the fastening member along the length of the construction member. Furthermore, if further fastening members are needed to se- cure the construction member to the structure to which it is to be attached, the con- struction worker may add the required number spread out along the length of the con-struction member. Thus, if the fastening members have to be positioned at a certain distance and/or at certain positions along the length of the construction member, the fastening member may be attached to the construction member accordingly, without having to create discrete receiving means at the required positions. The groove may be positioned so that the first attachment means of the fastening member are correctly po-sitioned where they extend beyond the dimensions of the construction member.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening system may be applied to provide construction members that are positioned on a wall in a vertical and/or horizon-tal position to provide a vertical and/or a horizontal row of construction members, or in any intermediate position between horizontal and vertical. This means that the longitu-dinal axis of the construction member may be arranged to be parallel to a vertical and/or a horizontal axis.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fastening system may be used to ar-range construction members on interior walls and/or exterior walls. If the construction member is made of a wood material, the wood material will move due to moisture changes on exterior surfaces, and using the fastening system of the present invention, the fastening members allow the wood to move so that the moisture content and movement of the wood material will not damage the construction members due to ex-cessive stress or strain.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a top view of a metal sheet having been cut into the shape of an elongate body of a fastening member, Fig. 2 is a top view of the same where the elongate body has been formed into the shape of a fastening member, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same taken along axis Ill-Ill of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a construction member 101 according to the invention Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same, Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a fastening system according to the invention, Figs. 7a and 7b show a front view of a fastening member being attached to a construc-tion member, Fig. 8 is a top view of a second embodiment of a metal sheet cut into shape of an elon-gate body of a fastening member, Fig. 9 is a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a fastening system, Fig. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a construction member, Fig. 11 a illustrates an alternative embodiment of an engagement means, and Fig. 11 b illustrates another alternative embodiment of an engagement means.

Fig. 1 is a top view of a metal sheet 2 providing a first plane, where the metal sheet has a first end 3 and a second end 4 comprising the longitudinal periphery of the metal sheet 2. The metal sheet is provided with a first attachment means 5 in the form of a through-going opening allowing a fastening means (not shown) to be inserted into the through-going opening 5. The sheet 2 has a first 6 and a second side 7 that are the lat-eral periphery of the metal sheet.

Close to the second end 4 of the sheet metal 2, the sheet metal is provided with a first 8 and a second opening 9 that have been cut out of the sheet 2, where the openings are shaped to define a first 10 and a second engagement means 11 that may be seen as the second attachment means, having a first end 12, 13 that is joined to the sheet metal and a second free end 14, 15. The second free end 14, 15 of the first 10 and second engagement means 11 is formed as having radial projections 16, 17 adapted to engage a construction member (not shown).

When the sheet 2 has been cut into the shape as shown in Fig. 1, the sheet 2 may be provided with folding lines 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 along which the sheet may be folded or bent out of the plane of the sheet 2 to increase the structural integrity of the sheet 2 and increase the strength of the finished fastening member 1. When the sheet 2 is folded along the lateral folding lines 18, 19, the first and the second side 6, 7 may project from the plane of the sheet 2 and increase the strength of the sheet 2 along a longitudinal axis extending from the first end 3 to the second end 4 and reducing the risk that the sheet 2 will buckle along the longitudinal axis under external forces. This increase in integrity may be seen as similar to that used in an I or an H beam, or even an UNP profile in steel construction, where the bends or folds increase the sheet's abil-ity to resist bending and shear loads in the longitudinal direction. Similarly, the sheet 2 may be bent or folded along folding lines 23, 24 close to the second end 4, where the folding lines are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and the bend or fold increases the strength of the sheet 2 against bending or shear forces in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Between the folding lines 23 and 24 and the second end 4, the sheet may be provided with an intermediate area 25 that may be provided with a third attachment means 26 in the form of a through-going opening.

Furthermore, in order to increase the strength of the central part 31 of the sheet 2, the sheet 2 may be folded along folding line 20, which extends both in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

The first 10 and the second engaging nieans 11 may be folded from the plane of the sheet 2 along folding lines 21, 22 so that the engaging means project from the plane of the sheet 2 (as shown in Fig. 3). In order to increase the strength of the engaging means 10, 11, the folding line may be placed such that the folding is performed in the sheet material 2 so that when folded, the sheet material provides a transitional shoul-der 27, 28 between the engaging means and the sheet 2. In other embodiments, the engaging means 10, 11 may be bent directly at its transition 29 between the sheet metal and the shaft of the engaging means 10, 11.

Fig. 2 shows a fastening member 1 according to the invention, where the sheet 2 has been folded along the folding lines as shown in Fig. 1. Here, it may be seen that the first 6 and the second lateral side 7 of the sheet 2 have been folded out of the plane of the sheet 2 and where the free ends 14, 15 of the engaging means protrude from the plane of the sheet 2.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the fastening member 1 shown in Fig. 2. The engaging means 11 protrudes from the plane of the sheet 2 so that the free end 15 of the engag- ing means 11 extends a predetermined distance away from the sheet 2. The predeter-mined distance may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the length of the shaft 30 of the engaging means so that the free end 15 and the protrusions 17 are positioned at a predetermined distance from the sheet 2. The transitional shoulder 27 of the engag-ing means provides an increased strength o the engaging means so that an increased force is required to tilt the engaging means in the direction shown by the arrow A. The sheet 2 has been folded so that the central area 31 of the sheet 2 is raised relative to the bottom surface 33 of the sheet 2, while the lateral peripheral bottom surface 32 of the sheet 2 is substantially in the same plane as the bottom surface 33 of the sheet 2. The intermediate area 25 has been raised relative to the sheet 2 by the folding of the transitional area 35 between the sheet 2 and the intermediate area 25 such that the top surface 36 of the intermediate area 25 is in the same plane as the folded second side 7 of the sheet protruding from the plane of the sheet 2.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a construction member 101 according to the inven- tion, where the construction member has a first end 102 and a second end 103 in- between which define the longitudinal axis of the construction member 101. The con-struction member is provided with a first surface 104 and a second surface 105, where the first surface 104 is provided with a recess 106, which may act as a receiving means for the fastening member according to the invention and may stretch along the entire first surface 104 from the first end 102 to the second end 103. The construction mem-ber 101 may be used to line a building wall (shown in Fig. 6), where the first surface 104 faces the wall, and the second surface 105 faces away from the wall. Further, the construction member may be provided with a groove 107 at the bottom of the construc-tion member while the top is provided with a tongue 108. In this embodiment of the present invention, the construction member may be a wooden structure, while in other embodiments the construction member may be a plastics material, fibrous material, metal or other suitable materials.

In alternative embodiments, the recess may be provided at discrete locations along the length of the construction member at a predetermined even or uneven interval.

Fig. 5 shows a sectional view of the construction member 101 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows a fastening system according to the invention, where the fastening mem-bers 1 as shown in Figs. 2-3 are used to fasten construction members 101 as shown in Figs. 4-5 to a surface 202 of a wall 201. The fastening member is attached to the wall using a fastening means 203, such as a screw, nail or similar, attaching the fastening member 1 securely to the wall surface 202.

In the setup shown in Fig. 6, it is advantageous to mount the fastening member ito the construction members 101 by inserting the engaging means into the recess 106 as shown in Fig. 7a, so that the diameter of the engaging means is smaller than the re- cess 106, which allows the engaging means to enter the recess 106. When the engag-ing means have entered the recess, the fastening member 1 is rotated substantially 90 degrees relative to the construction member 101 as shown in Fig. 7b so that the en-gaging means rotate along with the fastening member 1 so that the increased diameter of the engaging means grips the insides of the recess 106 and becomes securely at-tached to the construction member 101 as shown in Fig. 6. The protrusion 17 of the engaging means 11 engages the recess 106; e.g. by digging into the material of the construction member 101 ensuring that the engaging means 11 is securely fastened inside the recess 106 so that the engaging means cannot be released from the recess without applying destructive forces.

When the fastening member 1 has been attached to the construction member 101, the first construction member 101 is attached to the wall by using an attachment means 203 to fasten it securely to the wall. When the first construction member 101 is in place, the second construction member 101 may be aligned on top of the first construction member 101 so that the tongue 108 of the first construction member 101 enters the groove 107' of the second construction member 101'. Thus, the fastening of the first construction member 101 to the wall surface 202 ensures that the bottom of the second construction member 101' is securely attached to the wall surface 202.

As the fastening member 1' extends beyond the top of the construction member 101' the user has access to the first attachment means 5' of the fastening member in order to provide an attachment member 203, such as a screw or a nail.

In order to ensure that the fastening member does not rotate relative to the construc-tion member 101 after fastening, an attachment member 204, such as a nail or a screw, may be used to secure the fastening member 1 to the construction member by using the third attachment means 26 of the fastening member 1.

Thus, it is possible to line a wall with wood without having to provide any screws or fas-tening devices to the outer surface 105 of the construction members 101 thus providing a blind fastening device and a blind fastening system for construction members 101.

Fig. S shows a top view of a sheet metal forming a fastening member 201 similar to that shown in Fig. 1, where the fastening member 201 is provided with a second first attachment means 51. In case an outside force is applied in a different direction than along the longitudinal axis of the fastening member, the second first attachment means 51 may be used to stabilise the fastening member 201 to the attachment surface or wall to which it is attached in order to prevent rotation of the fastening member 201.

Such force may be applied when a construction member is positioned in a vertical posi-tion so that the fastening member is in a substantially horizontal position. Thus, when the first attachment means 5 and the second first attachment means 51 are provided with fasteners, such as screws or nails, the two fasteners prevent that the fastening member 201 may be rotated relative to the attachment surface.

Fig. 9 shows a fastening system according to the invention similar to that shown in Fig. 6, where the embodiment of Fig. 9 shows a top or a final construction member, i.e. a construction member having a top rim 151, where the top rim is arranged so that a fur-ther construction member does not abut the top rim 151, and where the top rim 151 forms a periphery of the lined surface of the wall.

In this embodiment, the fastening member 1' has been rotated 180 degrees along the longitudinal axis of the engaging means 11' so that the third attachment means 26' may be used to fasten the fastening 1' member to the wall 201, and an attachment member 204 may be used to secure the first attachment means 5' to the construction member 150. The top rim 151 of the upper construction member 151 may be shorter than the top rim of the lower construction member 101 so that the top rim 151 of the construc-tion member 150 does not block the third attachment means 26 of the fastening member 1'. In other embodiments, the second end (4 of Fig. 1) of the fastening mem-ber 1' may be elongated a further distance than that shown in Fig. 9 so that the top rim 151 may be farther away from the recess 106'.

Fig. 10 shows an alternative embodiment of a construction member 160 having a T-shaped recess 161, where the recess has a widened section 162 at the bottom of the recess, said widened section 162 having widened side walls 163 compared to the up-per side walls 164 of the recess.

Fig. ha shows an alternative embodiment of an engagement means 170, where the transition from the shaft 172 to the top end 171 of the engagement means 170 is sub-stantially linear ending in in an engaging protrusion 173, which is not as sharp as the protrusion 17 shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. llb shows another alternative embodiment of an engagement means 180, where the transition from the shaft 182 to the top end 181 of the engagement means 180 is stepped in a single step forming a T-shaped engagement means 180 having a widened protrusion 183 having a substantially blunt end. Such an engagement means may be used when the material of the construction member is relatively hard, such as plastic, metal, or hardwood, so that the engagement means may be wedged towards the sides of a recess of the construction member. Yet further, the engagement means of Fig. 11 b may be used in a T-shaped recess as shown in Fig. 19, where the widened protrusion 183, when arranged in the widened section 162 of the recess, minimises the risk that the engagement means may release from the recess 161 in a direction defined from the bottom of the recess to the top opening of the recess.

Claims (1)

1. <claim-text>Claims 1) A fastening member, comprising: -an elongate body having a first plane, a first end and a second end, -a first attachment means arranged close to the first end, -a second attachment means arranged close to the second end, where the second attachment means is provided with an engaging means project- ing from the first plane and where the engaging means is provided with an engag- ing member comprising a first cross sectional dimension and a second cross sec- tional dimension, where the first cross sectional dimension is larger than the sec-ond cross sectional dimension.</claim-text> <claim-text>2) A fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the engaging means comprises a part having a first end attached to the elongate body and a second free end.</claim-text> <claim-text>3) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the engaging member is provided at the second free end.</claim-text> <claim-text>4) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the engaging member is provided with at least one protrusion adapted to engage a receiv-ing means of a construction member.</claim-text> <claim-text>5) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one protrusion has a sharp tip allowing the protrusion to be driven into a softer material of the receiving means of the construction member.</claim-text> <claim-text>6) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first cross-sectional dimension and/or the second cross-sectional dimension of the en-gaging member are substantially parallel to the first plane.</claim-text> <claim-text>7) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate body comprises at least one reinforcement means at its periphery.</claim-text> <claim-text>8) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the material of the engaging means is integral with the material of the elongate body.</claim-text> <claim-text>9) A fastening member according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate body is in a sheet metal.</claim-text> <claim-text>10) A fastening member according to claim 9, wherein engaging means are cut into the sheet metal and are bent at a substantially right angle to the elongate body allowing the engaging means to protrude from the plane of the elongate body.</claim-text> <claim-text>11) A fastening system comprising: -a fastening member according to any one of claims 1 to 10 -a construction member comprising: o a first surface O a second surface provided with a receiving means for receiving the en-gaging means of the fastening member, where the receiving means has a third cross-sectional dimension, which is larger than the second cross-sectional dimension, and a fourth cross-sectional dimension, which is smaller than the first cross-sectional dimension.</claim-text> <claim-text>12) A fastening system according to claim 11, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension of the receiving means are arranged in the same plane and are ar-ranged at a substantially right angle to each other.</claim-text> <claim-text>13) A fastening system according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the construction member is in a wood material.</claim-text> <claim-text>14) A fastening system according to any of one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the receiv-ing means is a depression in the wood material.</claim-text> <claim-text>15) A fastening system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the receiving means is a groove extending along a longitudinal axis of the construction member.</claim-text> <claim-text>16) A fastening member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.</claim-text> <claim-text>17) A fastening system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.</claim-text>