Patent ID: 7506418

Claim:
A protective cover for a buckle with an attached strap, said buckle including a buckle left side and buckle right side, held in spaced relationship to each other by a strap gripping post and a strap attachment post, a locking lever with a release end and a gripping end mounted between said buckle left and right sides, with said gripping end of said lever forming a strap end entry slot adjacent said strap gripping post, a buckle top, buckle bottom, said strap including an attached end attached to said strap attachment post, and a strap free end, said cover comprising: a resilient cover body defining a cover interior for placement of said buckle, said cover body comprising a cover sidewall configured to circumvolve said buckle in a generally rectangular shape around said buckle back edge, buckle front edge, buckle left side and buckle right side, said cover sidewalls including a back sidewall, a front sidewall, a left sidewall and a right sidewall, and which includes a cover top side and a cover bottom side connected to said left and right and back sidewalls, thus forming a six sided buckle cover; said back sidewall defining a strap exit slot for said attached strap on said buckle; said cover bottom side defining a strap entry slot, through which said free end of said strap can pass and thus pass between said gripping end of said lever and said strap gripping post; said cover top side defining a strap exit slot, through which said free end of said strap can pass and thus exit said buckle; with said cover top side covering said release end of said locking lever, with said cover top side being sufficiently flexible to allow depression of said release end of said lever through said cover top side, to release said strap when said buckle is enclosed in said cover; wherein said protective cover prevents any surface of said buckle from touching any generally flat object; and said protective cover further includes an exterior ridge on the exterior of said sidewall, for additional protection of a surface from said buckle.