Patent ID: 7559218

Claim:
An item securing apparatus operative to secure at least one item to a ground surface, the item securing apparatus comprising: a locking housing having a body portion and a handle portion extending from said body portion; a ground engaging member including a body portion having a bottom end having a ground penetrating structure insertable into the ground surface and a top end opposite the bottom end, said body portion of the ground engaging member configured to telescopically receive the handle portion of the locking housing; a locking device positioned in the locking housing, the locking device movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, said locking device configured to (1) engage the top end of the ground engaging member to lock the locking housing to the top end of the ground engaging member in the locked position, and (2) disengage the top end of the ground engaging member to unlock the locking housing from the top end of the ground engaging member in the unlocked position; and at least one item securing mechanism having a first end thereof engageable with the body portion of the ground engaging member and having a second end thereof engageable with the at least one item to operatively secure the at least one item to the body portion of the ground engaging member.