Clamp mechanism for a cover assembly

A protective cover assembly for covering a space defined by at least one wall of a bed of a truck, said protective cover assembly comprising;

• a rail,
• a support bow coupled to said rail,
• a material disposed over said rail and said support bow for covering the space of the bed of the truck, and
• a clamp mechanism coupled to said support bow for securing said protective cover assembly over the space, said clamp mechanism including:
• a latch member for engaging the at least one wall,
• a handle operatively engaging said latch member for moving said latch member between an engaged position and a disengaged position,
• a slide coupled to said latch member and slidably coupled to a portion of said support bow and remaining coupled to said support bow when in both an operational and a stowed position for guiding said handle and said latch member between the operational position and the stowed position relative to said support bow, and
• a rod coupled to said slide and operatively engaging said latch member.