Patent ID: 8633404

Claim:
A gangable nail plate for protecting a utility line within a wall stud, said nail plate comprising: a substantially flat planar body member having a thickness to resist penetration by a fastener, said body having a substantially rectangular shape with first and second longitudinal side edges, a first end edge transverse to said longitudinal side edges and having a dovetail shape with a first recessed portion, and a second end edge having a dovetail shaped recess with a dimension corresponding to said dovetail first end edge; a first and second bendable nail tab having a leg with a first end coupled to said body member by a fold line and a nailing prong extending from a second end of said leg, said nail tab being bendable from a retracted position to an extended position for penetrating the wall stud, said second end edge further having a first tab in said dovetail shaped recess configured to mate with said first recessed portion of an adjacent nail plate with no openings or gaps in the nail plates or between the adjacent end edges of the adjacent nail plate ganged in an end to end configuration when the nail tabs are in the extended position penetrating the wall stud, and where said first bendable nail tab is positioned in said first recessed portion of said first end edge and said second bendable nail tab is positioned in said dovetail shaped recess.