Patent ID: 7100252

Claim:
A buckle comprising: a female portion comprising: a hollow body with two sidewalls, an open receiving end and a locking end located opposite said receiving end; an opening in said locking end, said opening being formed by said two sidewalls and having two ends and being wider in a central area than at said ends; at least one locking slot in at least one of said sidewalls; and a male portion comprising: a base; at least one locking arm connected to said base, said locking arm having a free end and a locking tab located at said free end; and a shoulder portion located remote from said free end of said locking arm, wherein inserting the male portion into the female portion compresses locking arm inward and causes the locking tab to pass fully through the opening in the locking end and wherein once the locking tab passes through the opening in the locking end the locking arm is released into a resting position where the tab rests against one of the ends of the opening in the locking end, to lock the male portion to the female portion, wherein inserting the male portion into the female portion causes the shoulder to extend through the locking slot to abut a top end of the locking slot and further lock the male portion to the female portion, and wherein the male portion is released from the female portion by pressing the shoulder portion inward until the shoulder portion clears the locking slot, which also moves the tab inward to the central area of the opening in the locking end, to release the male portion from the female portion.