Patent Description:
A conventional side-release buckle assembly includes a male buckle component that is configured to mate with a female buckle component, such as shown and described in commonly-owned <CIT>, entitled "Side-release Buckle Assembly," and <CIT>, entitled "Buckle. " Each of the male buckle component and the female buckle component of the buckle is configured to retain a lead. The male buckle component includes integral buttons that may be engaged to release the male buckle component from the female buckle component, thereby disconnecting the buckle assembly.

<CIT> discloses a buckle having a male buckle member and a female buckle member adapted for mating latching engagement with one another, and a removable integrated attachment member adapted to engage with the male buckle member and fits between the male buckle member and the female buckle member when the two are in latched engagement and can be readily and easily removed from the male buckle member. The removable integrated attachment member has a projection that sits above the surface of the buckle members to facilitate attachment of a split-ring, carabiner, s-clip or other device for use in attaching items to the removable integrated attachment member. The buckle is particularly suited for use on an animal restraint, such as a collar or harness, but can also be employed on other articles having buckles anywhere an attachment point is desired.

<CIT> discloses a shoe connecting device according to the preamble of claim <NUM>. The shoe connecting device comprises a first connecting part, a second connecting part, a clamping seat, a first ferrule and a second ferrule, wherein the first connecting part and the second connecting part are respectively, elastically and fixedly arranged on two sides of a vamp, a first sliding rod of the first connecting part and a second sliding rod of the second connecting part can be respectively inserted into the clamping seat from two ends of the clamping seat, and a clamping head restricts a first clamping hook and a second clamping hook from sliding out. During use, the first sliding rod and the second sliding rod are respectively operated by a single hand to slide from the two ends of the clamping seat to the center and to be clamped in clamping grooves, and thus the first connecting part and the second connecting part are fixed with the clamping seat, such that the connection of the first connecting part, the clamping seat and the second connecting part is conveniently and quickly realized, the vamps are enabled to be close to two feet of a user and the troublesome operation in tying shoelaces with two handles is avoided.

<CIT> discloses a mounting structure for buckles, cord locks and the like is provided with a base (<NUM>) and a body (<NUM>) for placement on opposite sides of the article to which the component is to be secured. A first connector part in the nature of a rack (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) is provided on one of the body and base, and a lug (<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>,<NUM>) is provided on the other of the body and the base for engagement at various locations along the rack to secure the body and base on opposite sides of the article.

<CIT> discloses a buckle closure assembly having a male part and a female part that snap-fittingly cooperate with one another. The male part and the female part selectively interact with one another along an operating direction to connect and disconnect alternate portions of a strap system. One or both of the male part and the female part include an offset or a standoff that extends from the respective part in a crossing direction relative to the operating direction to maintain a spacing between the buckle assembly and adjacent anatomy and/or clothing.

<CIT> discloses a quick disconnect buckle includes a female member with opposed side openings and a lateral opening and a male member with longitudinally extending arms and an intermediate bar that includes a lug that engages with the lateral opening. Camming surfaces on the arms and side openings causing the arms to cam against the bar to thereby lift the lug out of the lateral opening to free the male member from the female member.

The present disclosure relates generally to a buckle assembly, and more particularly to a side-release buckle assembly, substantially as illustrated by and described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular examples thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying figures; where like or similar reference numbers refer to like or similar structures. The figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methods described herein.

Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within and/or including the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. In the following description, it is understood that terms such as "first," "second," "top," "bottom," "side," "front," "back," and the like are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. For example, while in some examples a first side is located adjacent or near a second side, the terms "first side" and "second side" do not imply any specific order in which the sides are ordered.

The terms "about," "approximately," "substantially," or the like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language ("e.g.," "such as," or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosed examples and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The terms "e.g.," and "for example" set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed examples.

The term "and/or" means any one or more of the items in the list joined by "and/or. " As an example, "x and/or y" means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, "x, y, and/or z" means "one or more of x, y, and z.

A buckle assembly can be used to join two or more components, such as a lead (e.g., straps, ropes, strips, cordage, or another material to be fastened). Such buckles may have various uses in different applications. For example, a buckle assembly may be used on bags, safety gear (e.g., such as helmets), collars, or any other application that may need to be fastened. The buckle assembly herein will be described below in reference to use on a lead of a safety helmet, such as a hard hat. However, the buckle assembly disclosed herein is not limited to that application.

In some examples, buckles for use on safety helmets may have to comply with certain safety standards. Such safety standards may define a minimum force that the buckle assembly can withstand as well as a maximum force the buckle can withstand. These safety standards may help ensure that the safety device offers adequate protection, but that the safety device itself does not pose a risk to the person wearing it. For example, the minimum force a buckle can withstand may ensure that the buckle remains intact and connected such that the safety helmet remains on the wearer. On the other hand, a buckle on a safety helmet needs to be able to disconnect or break at higher force loads so that the buckle (connecting the leads of the helmet) does not pose a risk of strangulation to the wearer. In this way, conventional buckles for use on safety helmets may be configured to break, thereby disconnecting the leads of the helmet, at a maximum force. In turn, once the conventional buckle reaches the maximum force and breaks to disconnect, the buckle will need to be fully replaced. In other words, an incident resulting in the maximum force upon the buckle assembly ends the useful life a traditional buckle. This results in increased costs and time to replace the buckle assemblies on the safety helmets. In other examples, a traditional buckle may be configured to disconnect without breaking upon reaching a maximum force, but may still have a limited useful life. For instance, such a traditional buckle may only be able to be used a finite number of times. As one example, a conventional buckle may only be able to withstand reaching such a high load ten or fewer times before needing to be replaced. Thus, even if a traditional buckle can be disconnected rather than breaking at a high force, such a buckle may still require increased costs and time to replace the buckle assemblies.

The buckle disclosed herein is designed to meet the appropriate safety standards (e.g., withstanding a minimum load and disconnecting upon a maximum load), but does not break when the maximum load is applied to the buckle. Instead, the buckle disclosed herein is configured to disconnect upon application of the maximum force. In this way, the buckle disclosed herein does not break and is reusable even after application of a high load. Thus, the buckle disclosed herein may result in decreased costs of replacement, increase the useful life of the buckle, and save time (e.g., due to the buckles not needing to be replaced).

In some aspects, a buckle assembly includes a male buckle component configured to mate with a female buckle component into a securely connected position. The male buckle component includes a main body, a mating guide beam, and one or more lateral arms coupled to the main body and configured to deflect about a pivot point. Each of the one or more lateral arms includes a flexible lateral arm and a button. The button is configured to engage the female buckle component via a latching ledge, and the latching ledge defines a sloped transition from the flexible lateral arm to the button. The female buckle component includes a housing that defines a button aperture configured to secure the button of the male component, a disengagement aperture proximal to the button aperture, and a pocket configured to receive the male buckle component.

<FIG> illustrates a top plan view of a disconnected buckle assembly <NUM>, while <FIG> illustrates a top plan view of a connected buckle assembly <NUM>. As illustrated, the buckle assembly <NUM> is configured as a side-release buckle assembly that includes a male buckle component <NUM> and a female buckle component <NUM>. In operation, the pair of lateral arm members <NUM> is inserted into and received by a pocket <NUM> of female buckle component <NUM> to latch the buckle assembly <NUM>. The pair of lateral arm members <NUM> is inserted via an insertion force <NUM>, which is indicated by Arrow B. The buckle assembly <NUM> is released or disconnected by providing compression forces <NUM> inwardly from the side as indicated by Arrows A and A'. The male buckle component <NUM> and the female buckle component <NUM> can be made as individual monolithic structures of plastic formed by injection molding processes, engineered plastic, moldable plastic, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, or the like.

Leads <NUM> can be attached to each of the male buckle component <NUM> and the female buckle component <NUM> so that buckle assembly <NUM> can be used to secure together opposite ends of a single lead <NUM> or to secure ends of separate leads <NUM>. Example leads <NUM> include, inter alia, straps (e.g., backpack straps, belts, etc.), ropes, strips, cordage, or another material to be fastened. The leads <NUM> may be fabricated from, for example, plastic, nylon, leather, fabric, etc. In some examples, each of the male buckle component <NUM> and the female buckle component <NUM> may be adjustably positioned along the length of a lead <NUM>. Other structures or components, however, may be used to couple to the male buckle component <NUM> and/or the female buckle component <NUM> in addition to, or in lieu of, the leads <NUM>. For example, the male buckle component <NUM> and/or the female buckle component <NUM> may be coupled to an item (e.g., bag, belt, garment, etc.) via mechanical fasteners (e.g., snaps, rivets, carabiner clips, etc.), adhesives, etc..

In order to securely mate the male buckle component <NUM> into the female buckle component <NUM>, the male buckle component <NUM> is urged into the female buckle component <NUM> via insertion force <NUM>. The female buckle component <NUM> defines a receiving body or pocket <NUM>. In some examples, the female buckle component <NUM> includes a housing <NUM> formed as a set of plates spaced apart and secured at the edges via the sides <NUM> to form a pocket-like structure to define the pocket <NUM>. The sides <NUM> of the housing <NUM> are shaped to define button apertures <NUM> (e.g., apertures in the sides <NUM>). The button apertures <NUM> are sized and positioned to receive buttons <NUM> when the male buckle component <NUM> is fully inserted into the pocket <NUM> of the female buckle component <NUM>. The pocket <NUM> may further define one or more channels to define a guide way to direct male buckle component <NUM> straight into female buckle component <NUM> from an entrance opening <NUM> to the pocket <NUM>. The one or more channels may be formed on, for example, in interior surface of the set of plates <NUM>. The one or more channels may be configured to guide the male buckle component <NUM> via a mating guide beam <NUM> that outwardly extends from a rigid strut member. For example, using insertion force <NUM> as indicated by Arrow B, the mating guide beam <NUM> passes into a mating channel or sleeve formed in the female buckle component <NUM> in order to assure proper mating alignment. Once the buttons <NUM> are snapably secured into the button apertures <NUM> formed in the female buckle component <NUM>, the male buckle component <NUM> is securely retained within the female buckle component <NUM>.

The male buckle component <NUM> includes a pair of lateral arm members <NUM>. While the pair of lateral arm members <NUM> are illustrated as generally parallel one another, they may be non-parallel. Each of the lateral arm members <NUM> includes a flexible lateral arm <NUM> with a button <NUM> at a distal end <NUM> thereof. As illustrated, the flexible lateral arms <NUM> are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another. In some examples, the flexible lateral arm <NUM> and the buttons <NUM> are fabricated as a unitary structure. In some examples, the flexible lateral arm <NUM> and the buttons <NUM> are distinct components. For example, the buttons <NUM> may be a solid, rigid button coupled to an end of the flexible lateral arm <NUM>. In other examples, the flexible lateral arm <NUM> may be configured to form a non-linear portion that defines, or otherwise serves as, the button <NUM>. For example, the flexible lateral arm <NUM> may be shaped to define the button <NUM>. In either arrangement, the buttons <NUM> define a latching ledge <NUM> configured to engage the female buckle component <NUM>. For example, the latching ledge <NUM> may engage a lock ledge <NUM> defined by the housing <NUM> of the female buckle component <NUM>.

In some examples, a rigid strut member <NUM> extends between the lateral arm members <NUM>. The rigid strut member <NUM> is generally perpendicular to the lateral arm members <NUM>. A lead-receiving channel <NUM> is formed through the male buckle component <NUM> between, for example, the rigid strut member <NUM> and a lead bar <NUM>. In some examples, such as the example illustrated in <FIG>, the male component <NUM> may include two or more lead bars <NUM>. In such cases, a lead-receiving channel <NUM> may be formed between each of the two or more lead bars <NUM> and/or between the rigid strut member <NUM> and at least one of the lead bars <NUM>. In some examples, the rigid strut member <NUM> and the lead bars <NUM> are parallel to one another. The lead-receiving channel <NUM> is configured to secure the lead <NUM>.

The lateral arm members <NUM> are integrally connected to the main body <NUM> at pivot points <NUM> (e.g., via one of the rigid strut members <NUM>). The lateral arm members <NUM> are configured to pivot (e.g., flex) in the direction of Arrows A and A' about pivot points <NUM> defined by the union of the rigid strut member <NUM> and the lateral arm members <NUM>. In other words, the lateral arm members <NUM> are rigidly coupled at pivot points <NUM> and configured to flex inwardly along their lengths (e.g., their effective lengths <NUM>) in the direction of Arrows A and A'.

In general, the rigid strut member <NUM> is disposed between the pivot points <NUM> and adjacent the lead-receiving channel <NUM>. In one example, the pivot points <NUM> are distally located from the lead bar <NUM> and the rigid strut member <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a rigid strut member <NUM> extends between the lateral arm members <NUM> and is integrally connected with the lead bar <NUM> to form a main body <NUM> of the male buckle component <NUM>. Thus, the rigid strut member <NUM> is inflexible. While the main body <NUM> is illustrated with a rigid strut member <NUM>, the rigid strut member <NUM> may be omitted and the lateral arm members <NUM> can be integrally connected to the main body <NUM> at another location. For example, the lateral arm members <NUM> can be connected at the lead bar <NUM>.

In operation, the pair of lateral arm members <NUM> is inserted into and received by pocket <NUM> of female buckle component <NUM> as indicated by Arrow B to connect the buckle assembly <NUM>. In order to secure the male buckle component <NUM> into the female buckle component <NUM>, the male buckle component <NUM> is urged into the female buckle component <NUM> in the direction of Arrow B. The mating guide beam <NUM> of the male buckle component <NUM> moves into a reciprocal channel formed in the pocket <NUM> of the female buckle component <NUM> to ensure proper mating alignment between the female and male buckle components <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

As the male buckle component <NUM> is urged into the female buckle component <NUM>, the lateral arm members <NUM> deflect inwardly (e.g., deformed or flexed) in the directions of Arrows A and A' until the buttons <NUM> reach button apertures <NUM> formed by the female buckle component <NUM>. To that end, the flexible lateral arm <NUM> is configured to flex along its effective length <NUM> between the pivot point <NUM> and a latching ledge <NUM> at its distal end <NUM>. For purposes of this disclosure, the effective length <NUM> refers to the length along the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to enable the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to flex between the pivot point <NUM> and the distal latching ledge <NUM> during connecting and disconnecting of the buckle assembly <NUM>. The effective length <NUM> is a function of the shape of the flexible lateral arm <NUM>. In the example of <FIG> and <FIG>, the flexible lateral arms <NUM> are generally linear (e.g., straight) with a rigid button <NUM> coupled at the distal end <NUM> that defines the latching ledge <NUM>.

When the buttons <NUM> enter the button apertures <NUM> in response to the insertion force <NUM>, the tension stored in the lateral arm members <NUM> (via the flexible lateral arm <NUM>) biases the buttons <NUM> laterally outward (e.g., in directions opposite that of Arrows A and A') such that the buttons <NUM> are secured within the button apertures <NUM>. At this point, the male buckle component <NUM> is secured to the female buckle component <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a top plan view of the buckle assembly <NUM> in which the male buckle component <NUM> is securely mated into the female buckle component <NUM>. In order to disconnect the male buckle component <NUM> from the female buckle component <NUM>, the buttons <NUM> are squeezed inwardly (e.g., from the sides) toward one another in the direction of Arrows A and A'.

As discussed above, the buckle assembly <NUM> disclosed herein meets appropriate safety standards (e.g., withstanding a minimum load and disconnecting upon a maximum load) without breaking when the maximum load is applied to the buckle. In order for the buckle assembly <NUM> to disconnect under the maximum force without a user having to push buttons <NUM> inward to disconnect the female component <NUM> from the male component <NUM>, the female component <NUM> includes disengagement apertures in addition to the button apertures <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a disconnected buckle assembly with a female buckle component <NUM> including disengagement apertures <NUM> in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. <FIG> and <FIG> are described with respect to a single button aperture <NUM> and a single disengagement aperture <NUM>. It should be noted that the following description of the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> applies to the buckle assembly <NUM> as a whole, including a button aperture <NUM> and a disengagement aperture <NUM> on each side of the female component <NUM> (e.g., the buckle assembly <NUM> having two button apertures <NUM> and two disengagement apertures <NUM>). The button aperture <NUM> may be the same or substantially the same as described with respect to <FIG> and <FIG>. The button aperture <NUM> may be any suitable shape such that button <NUM> of the male component <NUM> can be snapably secured within button aperture <NUM>. For example, the button aperture <NUM> may have a shape that substantially corresponds to the shape of the button <NUM> of the male component <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the button aperture <NUM> may define a first width W1 (e.g., as measured in the direction of the length of the female component <NUM> from a first proximal end 140a of the button aperture <NUM> to a first distal end 140b of the button aperture <NUM>). In some examples, the first width W1 may be measured at the widest cross-section of button aperture <NUM> (e.g., as measured in the direction of the length of the female component <NUM>). The button aperture <NUM> may also define a first height H1 (e.g., as measured in a direction generally perpendicular to the first width W1). In some examples, the first height H1 may be measured at the longest cross-section of button aperture <NUM> (e.g., as measured in a direction generally perpendicular to the first width W1).

The housing <NUM> of the female component <NUM> includes one or more lock ledges <NUM> to interface with the male buckle component <NUM>. For example, the housing <NUM> may define the lock ledge <NUM> at or near the proximal end 140a of the button aperture <NUM>. In other examples, the lock ledge <NUM> may be located on a different part of the housing <NUM>.

The female component <NUM> also includes a disengagement aperture <NUM>. Similar to the button aperture <NUM>, the disengagement aperture <NUM> may define a second width W2 (e.g., as measured in the direction of the length of the female component <NUM> from a second proximal end 156a of the disengagement aperture <NUM> to a second distal end 156b of the disengagement aperture <NUM>). In some examples, the second width W2 may be measured at the widest crosssection of disengagement aperture <NUM> (e.g., as measured in the direction of the length of the female component <NUM>). The disengagement aperture <NUM> may also define a second height H2 (e.g., as measured in a direction generally perpendicular to the second width W2). In some examples, the second height H2 may be measured at the longest cross-section of disengagement aperture <NUM> (e.g., as measured in a direction generally perpendicular to the second width W2).

In some examples, the first height H1 of the button aperture <NUM> may be larger than the second height H2 of the disengagement aperture <NUM>. Such a configuration may enable the button <NUM> to be urged into the button aperture <NUM> without becoming engaged in the disengagement aperture <NUM>. In other words, the second height H2 of disengagement aperture <NUM> may be too small for the button <NUM> to become snapably secured in the disengagement opening <NUM>. In this way, upon insertion force <NUM>, the button <NUM> will not be biased laterally outward (e.g., in directions opposite that of arrows A and A') until the button <NUM> reaches the button aperture <NUM>. In other examples, the first height H1 of the button aperture <NUM> may be the same size or smaller than the second height H2 of the disengagement aperture <NUM>.

In some examples, the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> may be contiguous. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the distal end 156b of disengagement aperture <NUM> may abut the proximal end 140a of the button aperture <NUM>. In this way, the button aperture <NUM> and disengagement aperture <NUM> may define a single, larger aperture in the housing <NUM> of the female component <NUM>. In some such examples, a center of each of the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> may be configured to align. For example, a first center axis of button aperture <NUM> (e.g., that is generally perpendicular to the first height H1 and located halfway along first height H1) may substantially align with a second center axis of disengagement aperture <NUM> (e.g., that is generally perpendicular to the second height H2 and located halfway along second height H2). Moreover, in some examples in which the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> are contiguous, the lock ledge <NUM> defined by the housing <NUM> may be positioned at or near the distal end 156b of the disengagement aperture <NUM> (e.g., in examples in which the lock ledge <NUM> is at or near the proximal end 140a of the button aperture <NUM> since the proximal end 140a of the button aperture <NUM> abuts the distal end 156b of the disengagement aperture <NUM> in the contiguous examples discussed herein).

In an example in which the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> are contiguous, the housing <NUM> of the female component <NUM> may be more flexible than a housing <NUM> in which the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> are not contiguous. In any case, however, a housing <NUM> having both a button aperture <NUM> and a disengagement aperture <NUM> may be more flexible than a housing having only a button aperture <NUM> and not having a disengagement aperture <NUM>. Flexibility can be increased by including features as openings <NUM> (e.g., holes or slots) in the set of plates <NUM> (e.g., the top and bottom plates, as illustrated), in the side walls, etc. The increased flexibility of the housing <NUM> of the female component <NUM> having both the button aperture <NUM> and the disengagement aperture <NUM> (whether contiguous or not) may enable the female component to have a longer useful life and prevent breakage of one or both of the female component <NUM> or the male component <NUM> of the buckle assembly <NUM>. Moreover, this increased flexibility of the housing <NUM> may also enable the female component <NUM> to expand at a lower load relative to a traditional, less flexible female component, thereby allowing the male component <NUM> to be disconnected from the female component <NUM> (without user intervention) without breaking or otherwise being damaged.

For example, a female component <NUM> with a button aperture <NUM> and a disengagement aperture <NUM> that are contiguous may enable the male component <NUM> and the female component <NUM> to disconnect without breaking upon application of a maximum force on the buckle assembly <NUM>. For example, upon application of a particular force on the buckle assembly <NUM> (e.g., such as a maximum force set by a particular safety standard) the force upon the buckle assembly <NUM> may cause the female component <NUM> and the male component <NUM> to move in generally opposite directions. For instance, the force upon the buckle assembly may move the male component <NUM> a direction substantially opposite of the insertion force <NUM> (e.g., in the direction opposite of Arrow B). Upon such movement of the female component <NUM> and/or the male component <NUM>, the lock ledge <NUM> at or near the proximal end 156a of the disengagement aperture <NUM> may exert a force on the latching ledge <NUM> that causes the button <NUM> to be biased laterally inward (e.g., in directions of arrows A and A'). This may result in the button <NUM> of the male component <NUM> expanding the female component <NUM> to disconnect from the female component <NUM> without user intervention and without one or both of the male component <NUM> or the female component <NUM> breaking. In contrast, in traditional buckle assemblies the male component may be configured to pull on the female component at an application of a particular force to cause one or both of the female or male components to break in order to unlatch the buckle assembly. Thus, the increased flexibility of the female component <NUM> may enable the buckle assembly <NUM> to remain intact rather than breaking upon application of a relative high load. Moreover, such flexibility of the female component <NUM> may enable the buckle assembly <NUM> to be reused many times, even after application of a relatively high force. For example, the buckle assembly <NUM> including the flexible female component <NUM> may enable the buckle assembly <NUM> to be used repeatedly even after ten or more applications of a relatively high force. In some examples, the buckle assembly <NUM> may be able to be reused after ten or more, twenty or more, fifty or more, or one-hundred or more applications of a relatively high force. In other examples, the buckle assembly <NUM> described herein may be able to be reused despite any number of applications of a relatively high force.

<FIG> illustrates a connected buckle assembly with the female buckle component <NUM> of <FIG> and a male buckle component <NUM> in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. In the invention, such as in the example illustrated in <FIG>, the latching ledge <NUM> of the lateral arm member <NUM> defines a sloped transition from the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to the button <NUM>. For example, the latching ledge <NUM> may be sloped upward from the pivot point <NUM> to the button <NUM> of the lateral arm member <NUM>. In this way, the sloped latching ledge <NUM> may define a gradual transition from the shorter (e.g., as measured in the direction of first height H1 and second height H2) height of the flexible lateral arm <NUM> and the longer (e.g., as measured in the direction of first height H1 and second height H2) button <NUM> of the lateral arm member <NUM>. In some examples, the latching ledge <NUM> may define an obtuse angle (e.g., an angle greater than <NUM>°) measured relative to flexible lateral arm <NUM>. In cases in which the flexible lateral arm <NUM> is curved or otherwise not linear, the latching ledge <NUM> may define an obtuse angle with an axis substantially parallel to the axis along which the first and second widths W1, W2 are measured. The latching ledge <NUM> defines a sloped transition from the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to the button <NUM>. For example, the latching ledge <NUM> may be curved, stepped, or any other appropriate configuration. The latching ledge <NUM> includes more than one face. Each of the faces defines a sloped transition as described herein. A latching ledge <NUM> on each side of the button <NUM> defines a sloped transition from the button106 to the respective side of the flexible lateral arm <NUM>. In addition, in some examples, the sloped transition comprises a plurality of faces that collectively define a profile (e.g., shape) of the sloped transition.

In examples in which the latching ledge <NUM> defines a sloped transition from the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to the button <NUM>, the female component <NUM> and/or the male component <NUM> may be less likely to break upon application of a relatively high force upon the buckle assembly <NUM> in comparison to a buckle assembly in which the lateral arm member <NUM> does not include such a gradual transition. For example, when a force is applied to the buckle assembly that moves the female component <NUM> and the male component <NUM> in generally opposite directions (or moves the male component <NUM> a direction substantially opposite of the insertion force <NUM>), a lateral arm member <NUM> with a latching ledge <NUM> that defines a sloped transition as discussed herein enables the lock ledge <NUM> of the female component <NUM> to gradually engage and exert inward force upon the lateral arm member <NUM>. This results in the flexible female component <NUM> expanding to release the male component <NUM>. In contrast, a buckle assembly without a latching ledge defining a sloped transition as discussed herein may experience a relatively sudden increase in force, and when a force is applied to the buckle assembly that moves the female component and the male component in generally opposite directions, which may cause one or both of the female component or the male component of the buckle assembly to break. Thus, a male component <NUM> with a latching ledge <NUM> that defines a sloped transition from the flexible lateral arm <NUM> to the button <NUM> may have a longer useful life than other configurations of male components of buckles assemblies. In fact, such a configuration may enable the buckle assembly <NUM> disclosed herein to be reusable even after application of a relatively high load upon the buckle assembly <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates another view of a disconnected buckle assembly <NUM> with a male buckle component <NUM> in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. <FIG> illustrates the disconnected buckle assembly <NUM> with a female buckle component <NUM> in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. <FIG> illustrates a connected buckle assembly <NUM> with the male buckle component <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and the female buckle component <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. <FIG> are substantially the same as the buckle assembly <NUM> described in connection with <FIG>.

Claim 1:
A male buckle component (<NUM>) configured to mate with a female buckle component (<NUM>) into a securely connected position, the male buckle component (<NUM>) comprising:
a main body (<NUM>); a mating
guide beam (<NUM>); and
one or more lateral arms coupled to the main body (<NUM>) and configured to deflect about a pivot point, each of the one or more lateral arms comprising:
a flexible lateral arm (<NUM>), and
a button (<NUM>), wherein the button (<NUM>) is configured to engage the female buckle component (<NUM>) via a latching ledge (<NUM>), wherein
the latching ledge (<NUM>) defines a set of opposed sloped transitions from the flexible lateral arm (<NUM>) to the button (<NUM>) configured to engage, during use, a lock ledge (<NUM>) defined by a housing (<NUM>) of the female buckle component to gradually engage and exert an inward force upon the flexible lateral arm (<NUM>) so as to expand the female buckle component (<NUM>) and release the male buckle component from the female buckle component,
characterized in that,
the latching ledge (<NUM>) is provided on each side of the one or more lateral arms.