Patent ID: 7020939

Claim:
A buckle comprising: a female part having a hollow body with a front wall, a back wall an open top, a cavity between the front and back walls and at least one locking slot extending through the hollow body and communicating with the cavity, wherein the front and back walls each have a cutout that communicates with said open top, each said cutout having a shape that is wider at the open top than at an opposite end of said cutout; and a male part having a base, at least one locking leg and a central leg, said central leg having a shape corresponding to the shape of the cutouts in the female part, wherein inserting the male part into the open top of the female part causes the central leg to rest in the cutouts of the female part and the at least one locking leg to engage the at least one locking slot to lock the male part to the female part; and wherein during insertion of the male part into the female part, said cutouts align the male part with the female part to allow the male part to be inserted into the female part even when the male part is skewed relative to the female part as the male part is brought toward the female part.