Side release buckle

Abstract

A side release buckle includes a female buckle member that has two female coupling arms each with a forwardly extending coupling hole and a side opening, and a male buckle member that has two spring arms and two male coupling arms respectively supported on the spring arms and insertable with the spring arms into the coupling holes of the female coupling arms for engagement with the side openings of the female coupling arms. The female coupling arms are elastically outwardly deformable to lower the insertion force of the male buckle member. Disengaging the male coupling arms from the female coupling arms does not cause the female coupling arms to deform elastically outwards, and therefore a high deplugging force is required. An adapter may be provided to secure the female buckle member to an external object.

1 . A side release buckle comprising:
 a female buckle member, said female buckle member comprising a female buckle base, an insertion slot cut through said female buckle base for the mounting of a belt member, and two female coupling arms respectively extending from two distal ends of said female buckle base in a parallel manner and spaced from each other by a space, said female coupling arms each having a coupling hole forwardly extending to a front end thereof and a side opening at an outer side; and   a male buckle member, said male buckle member comprising a male buckle base, an insertion slot cut through said male buckle base, two male coupling arms for insertion into said coupling holes of said female coupling arms to engage said side openings of said female coupling arms respectively, and two spring arms respectively connected between said male coupling arms and two distal ends of said male buckle base.   
   
   
       2 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said female coupling arms of said female buckle member each have a stop edge at a front side of said respective side opening; said male buckle member comprises two stop edges respectively connected between said male coupling arms and said spring arms for engagement with said stop edges of said female coupling arms of said female buckle member after insertion of said male coupling arms into said coupling holes of said female coupling arms. 
   
   
       3 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said female coupling arms of said female buckle member each comprise a sliding groove axially extending to said respective front end at an inner side for guiding said male coupling arms and said spring arms of said male buckle member into said coupling holes of said female coupling arms of said female buckle member. 
   
   
       4 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said female coupling arms each comprise a sloping reinforcing rib disposed inside said respective coupling hole adjacent to said female buckle base. 
   
   
       5 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said female buckle member comprise a plurality of mounting legs respectively provided at said female coupling arms and said female buckle base at a bottom side for fastening to a respective mounting through hole on an external object. 
   
   
       6 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said spring arms of said male buckle member each comprise a sliding rail longitudinally disposed at an inner side and defining a beveled guide face, and a positioning portion disposed at a rear side of said beveled guide face of said sliding rail. 
   
   
       7 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said spring arms of said male buckle member each further comprise a Ω-shaped buffer arm portion connected between said associating male coupling arm and said male buckle base at an outer side, and a buffer space defined between said sliding rail thereof and said Ω-shaped buffer arm portion. 
   
   
       8 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the male coupling arms of said male buckle member each have an outer sloping face. 
   
   
       9 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising an adapter member for securing said female buckle member to an external object, said adapter member comprising an adapter base set in said space between said two female coupling arms of said female buckle member, and retaining means provided at two sides of said adapter base for holding said female coupling arms. 
   
   
       10 . The side release buckle as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said retaining means comprises two sleeves fixedly provided at two sides of said adapter base and respectively sleeved onto said female coupling arms.