Assembly system with clip for installing marble panels

Claim 1

A system for assembling and attaching marble panels substantially flush to a flat surface to give the appearance of marble slabs or surfaces, said system comprising: a plurality of marble panels, each marble panel including a marble sheet and a coextensive backing layer attached thereto which is routed out adjacent said marble sheet at selected portions thereof to define thin sections spaced from said marble sheet at said selected portions, independent and separate fastening strips attached to said flat surface, said fastening strips attached on said surface at preselected heights, a plurality of clips adapted to be secured to said fastening strips for laterally aligning said marble panels on said flat surface; each clip including an inner leg, an outer leg spaced-apart and parallel to said inner leg, and a transverse web interconnecting said inner and outer legs in a spaced-apart and parallel arrangement to define a guide channel, said guide channel receiving said panels in a non-load bearing manner to laterally align said marble panels; said inner leg of each clip being secured to said fastening strips at an orientation substantially parallel to the horizontal such that each said guide channel laterally guides the marble panels with respect to each other such that vertical edges of adjacent panels are in abutment and substantially co-planar; wherein the spacing between respective portions of said common inner and outer legs of each clip which define (of) said guide channel said legs to be freely inserted in the backing layer of said panels to eliminate bending of the outer common leg of the clip.

Claim 2

A system for assembling and attaching marble panels substantially flush to a flat surface to give the appearance of marble slabs or surfaces, said system comprising: a plurality of marble panels, each marble panel including a marble sheet and a coextensive backing layer attached thereto which is routed out adjacent said marble sheet at selected portions thereof to define thin sections spaced from said marble sheet at said selected portions, independent and separate fastening strips attached to said flat surface, said fastening strips attached on said surface at preselected heights, a plurality of clips adapted to be secured to said fastening strips for laterally aligning said marble panels on said flat surface; each clip including an inner leg, an outer leg spaced-apart and parallel to said inner leg, and a transverse web interconnecting said inner and outer legs in a spaced-apart and parallel arrangement to define a guide channel, said guide channel receiving said panels in a non-load bearing manner to laterally align said marble panels; said inner leg of each clip being secured to said fastening strips at an orientation substantially parallel to the horizontal such that each said guide channel laterally guides the marble panels with respect to each other such that vertical edges of adjacent panels are in abutment and substantially co-planar; wherein the spacing between respective portions of said common inner and outer legs of each clip which define (of) said guide channel said legs to be freely inserted in the backing layer of said panels to eliminate bending of the outer common leg of the clip.