Panel assembly

A flooring assembly including at least two floor panels and a connector member for mounting the panels to a sub-floor, said floor panels being positioned edge-to-edge in coplanar relationship with the respective confronting edges thereof spaced apart, and said connector member being between said confronting panel edges and interlocking said panels together by being fixedly secured to said sub-floor;

• each floor panel having top and bottom surfaces lying respectively in outer and inner parallel planes and having on its respective confronting edge a tongue and a groove both of rectangular cross-section, said rectangular tongue and groove extending along said panel edge and between said outer and inner planes, and respectively projecting and opening upwardly at a same angle to said inner plane;
• said connector member comprising an elongated body filling the space between the confronting panel edges and having top and bottom planar surfaces and having on each side thereof a tongue and a groove having rectangular cross-sections, and respectively projecting and opening downwardly at an angle corresponding to said same angle, the top surface of said member being coplanar with said outer plane, the rectangular tongue and groove on either side of said member being complementary to and lockingly engaging with the respective rectangular groove and tongue on the adjacent respective confronting edges of said panels;
• said connector member cooperating with said panels to urge said panels towards one another in tight locking engagement as a result of a compressive force being exerted on said member in a direction towards said sub-floor when said member is secured to said sub-floor, said bottom surface of said connector member being spaced from said sub-floor so as to form a gap therebetween allowing for displacement of said member towards said sub-floor upon application thereon of said compressive force.

A panel assembly including at least two panels, a connector member for mounting the panels on a support surface, and means for compressingly engaging said connector member and securing the panel assembly to the support surface, the panels being disposed on said support surface in spaced, edge-to-edge, confronting relationship, the connector member being disposed between said confronting panel edges for interlocking the panels together and securing them to said support surface;

• each panel having first and second parallel planes and a tongue and groove on the panel edge between said planes, said tongues and grooves respectively projecting and opening toward said first plane;
• said connector member between said confronting panel edges having on opposite sides thereof a tongue and groove respectively opening toward said second plane, said tongues and grooves on said connector member being complementary to and interconnected with the grooves and tongues on the confronting edges of the panels, said connector member having a first and second surfaces, the second surface of said connector member being spaced from said support surface and forming a gap between said second and support surfaces, the compressive force on said connector member by said means for compressingly engaging said connector member urging it toward said gap and drawing the panels toward each other to form a stressed joint between the interconnected tongues and grooves.