Patent ID: 7353573

Claim:
A buckle, comprising: a male portion comprising: two sidewalls, first and second retaining bars disposed between said sidewalls; at least one locking arm; and a slidable and pivotable strap gripping bar disposed between said two side walls and adjacent said first strap retaining bar, said strap gripping bar adapted to slide between a release position and a gripping position, and also pivot between a release position and gripping position; and a female portion comprising: a hollow body with an open end; and at least one locking slot for receiving said at least one locking arm; wherein when said male portion is inserted into said female portion, said locking arm locks into said locking slot and said female portion pushes said strap gripping bar into a gripping position, wherein if a strap is threaded through said strap retaining bars and said strap gripping bar is in said gripping position, said strap gripping bar grips said strap and prevents said strap from slipping, wherein said strap can be adjusted by pivoting said strap gripping bar out of said gripping position until a desired adjustment of said strap is reached, at which point said strap gripping bar can be released back into said gripping position, wherein when said male portion is released from said female portion, said strap gripping bar slides into the release position and allows adjustment of said strap, and wherein said strap gripping bar has two ends and two protrusions at each end, and wherein there are two apertures in each of said sidewalls, a first one of said protrusions on each end of the strap gripping bar extending through a first one of said apertures on each of the sidewalls to connect said strap gripping bar to said male portion, and a second one of said protrusions on each end of the strap gripping bar extending through a second one of said apertures on each of the sidewalls so that the second protrusions can be raised and lowered to pivot the strap gripping bar to adjust the strap.