Fastener for securing decking boards to an underlying supporting member

A fastener for securing a first board to an underlying supporting member and to at least one other board running adjacent and parallel to the first board, said fastener comprising:

• a thin flat body portion having front and rear faces;
• a first prong extending outwardly from said front face of said body portion for driving into a first board;
• a second prong extending outwardly from the rear face of said body portion for penetrating a second board, said second prong running adjacent and parallel to and in a direction opposite from that of said first prong;
• a third prong coplanar with the body portion extending downwardly from a bottom edge of said body portion and having a pointed end spaced downwardly from said body portion bottom edge so that immediately prior to the driving of said first prong into the first board said pointed end of said third prong can be rested on said underlying supporting member to position said fastener vertically relative to said first board during the driving of said first prong into the first board, and then when a connector is applied to fasten the body member to the underlying supporting member said third prong can penetrate into said underlying support to allow said first board to move downwardly closer to said underlying supporting member, in the event said first board was spaced slightly upwardly from the underlying support member at the time of driving said first prong into said first board, without the bottom edge of the body portion hindering such downward movement of the first board closer to the underlying supporting member, and
• said body portion having an opening capable of receiving a connector inserted through said opening and which connector is inclined to and passes through said body portion for fastening said body portion to a supporting member supporting and underlying the first and second boards.

A fastener for securing a first board to an underlying supporting member and to at least one other board running adjacent and parallel to the first board, said fastener comprising:

• a thin flat body portion having front and rear faces and top and bottom edges;
• two first prongs spaced from one another along said top edge and extending outwardly from said front face of said body portion at said top edge for driving into a first board;
• two second prongs spaced from one another along said top edge and extending outwardly from the rear face of said body portion at said top edge for penetrating a second board, said second prongs running parallel to and in a direction opposite from that of said first prongs;
• said body portion having an opening located centrally of the body portion and capable of receiving an elongated connector inserted through said opening and which connector is inclined to and passes through said body portion for fastening said body portion to a supporting member underlying the first and second boards;
• and
• two downwardly extending third prongs coplanar with the body portion spaced from one another along said bottom edge and having pointed ends spaced downwardly from said bottom edge so that immediately prior to the driving of said first prongs into the first board said pointed ends of said third prongs can be rested on said underlying supporting member to position said fastener vertically relative to said first board during the driving of said first prongs into the first board, and then when a connector is applied to fasten the body portion to the underlying supporting member said third prongs can penetrate into said underlying supporting member to allow said first board to move downwardly closer to said underlying supporting member, in the event said first board was spaced slightly upwardly from the underlying support member at the time of driving said first prongs into said first board, without tie bottom edge of the body portion hindering such downward movement of the first board closer to the underlying supporting member.