Patent ID: 8505988

Claim:
An apparatus for securing a cover for a defined area, said area moving during movement from an earthquake, the apparatus comprising: a housing with a front end and a rear end; the housing has two vertical upright walls that are interconnected at the rear end of the housing; near the front end of the housing, there is at least one tab, which is bent or oriented relatively perpendicular to the vertical upright walls; said at least one tab allows the first end of the housing to be mounted to a first surface within said defined area; each vertical upright wall has at least one slot; a crossbar rotates within said at least one slot of said vertical upright walls; the at least one slot is larger than the cross-sectional width of the cross-bar; the crossbar extends across the width of the two vertical upright walls; a latch arm has a first latch end and a second latch end; the second latch end rotatably engages the crossbar; and a receiving member, which is mounted on a second surface within the defined area; whereby upon movement of the first surface, the first end of the latch arm moves from a first unlocked position to a second locked position; in the second locked position, the first end of the latch arm engages the receiving member, which secures the cover for a defined area during movement from an earthquake.