Patent ID: 7001125

Claim:
A self-attaching female fastener element for attachment to a metal panel, comprising: an annular pilot portion having a bore extending through an annular end face of said pilot portion; an annular flange portion surrounding said pilot portion having a planar annular bearing face generally parallel to a plane of said end face of said pilot portion; an annular groove in said annular bearing face of said flange portion surrounding said pilot portion including an annular groove bottom wall, a groove inner side wall adjacent said pilot portion and an outer groove wall; said annular groove bottom wall including a plurality of circumferentially spaced generally wedge-shaped recesses extending from adjacent said groove outer side wall to adjacent said groove inner side wall defining radial segments of said groove bottom wall therebetween, each radial segment having a top face integral with said outer groove wall and radial side walls extending from said groove bottom wall to a bottom wall of said recesses; and said groove outer side wall inclined inwardly at an acute angle from said groove bottom wall toward said pilot portion overlying said top face of said radial segments integral with said groove outer side wall, whereby said metal panel deformed against said top faces of said radial segments is deformed radially outwardly beneath said inclined groove outer side wall.