Patent ID: 7748191

Claim:
A method of installing cladding, the method including the steps of: installing spaced, substantially horizontal battens on a structure to be clad; installing a cladding apparatus having a body portion having an inner and an outer surface and extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge between opposed side edges, and a batten engagement portion disposed on said inner surface toward said leading edge and adapted to retain said body portion against leading and outward movement relative to a batten engaged thereby, a leading edge portion of the inner surface of said body portion entrapping a trailing edge of an adjacent cladding apparatus against an upper surface of said batten, said batten engagement portion being configured to provide for mutual interengagement with a corresponding configuration of said batten, said mutual interengagement being provided by said batten including a recess formed on a trailing batten edge thereof, and wherein the batten engagement portion includes a projection in a leading direction that engages the recess in use, and the leading edge portion of the inner surface of the body portion and a trailing edge portion of the outer surface of the body portion of the adjacent cladding apparatus each being provided with respective lugs and grooves so that when the trailing edge of the adjacent cladding apparatus is entrapped, the lugs on the inner surface of the body portion are interdigitated with the lugs on the outer surface of the body portion of the adjacent cladding apparatus.