Patent ID: 8650827

Claim:
An assembly for securing two juxtaposed panels to a structure, each of the panels including a first surface, an opposing second surface and a joining flange located at, or adjacent to, respective juxtaposed edges thereof, the assembly comprising: a retaining member having a top portion supporting, at opposite edges thereof, respective first flanges, a clamping member having two spaced-apart legs depending from a web, each leg being configured to engage a respective exposed surface of an adjacent joining flange, and a pair of second flanges each supported on a facing internal surface of a respective one of said legs so as to extend away from the web; wherein: the first and second flanges are oriented in opposite directions so as to interlock when the clamping member is mounted on the retaining member and thereby limit lateral separation of said legs; and the clamping member is configured such that the joining flanges, which protrude outwardly from the first surface of the respective panels, are engaged by an internal surface of the respective leg of the clamping member upon the clamping member being pushed downwardly onto the joining flanges, and wherein the legs are configured to flex outward upon being pushed onto the joining flanges and to flex back inward for enhanced engagement with the joining flanges, and wherein each of the joining flanges has first and second outer surfaces such that the respective first surfaces of each joining flange face each other when the panels are secured and are not engaged by the clamping member and only the second surfaces of each joining flange are engaged by the clamping member; the joining flanges protrude outwardly from the first surface of the respective panels and have notches on the second surface only; and each leg of the clamping member is provided on an internal surface thereof with notches for engaging the notches of a corresponding joining flange when the clamping member is pushed downwardly onto the joining flanges.