Stowable belt buckle

A method of engaging and disengaging a seat belt in a vehicle, comprising:

• manually applying a force to a buckle of a buckle assembly, the buckle connected to a base fixedly disposed relative to a seat in the vehicle, wherein the buckle is moveable relative to the base between a stowed position and an engagement position, the buckle assembly including a latch mechanism having a latch member and a receiving component fixedly positioned relative to the base, the buckle assembly including a biasing mechanism configured to apply a biasing force to the buckle, the biasing force urging the buckle toward the engagement position, wherein the latch mechanism includes a grab latch mechanism, the grab latch mechanism including a strike member and a grab latch, the grab latch configured to retain the strike member when the buckle is in the stowed position, and release the strike member and the buckle from the stowed position when the buckle is pushed in the first direction, and wherein manually applying the force includes at least one of:
• pushing the buckle in a first direction to cause the buckle to move from the engagement position to the stowed position, wherein the latch member is automatically retained in the receiving component when the buckle reaches the stowed position;
• and
• pushing the buckle in the first direction when the buckle is in the stowed position to cause the latch member to be automatically released from the receiving component, the biasing force causing the buckle to automatically return to the engagement position upon release of the buckle.

A vehicle system comprising:

• a buckle assembly disposed proximate to a rear seat belt in a rear occupant compartment of a vehicle, the buckle assembly including:
• a buckle configured to engage the rear seat belt;
• a base fixedly disposed relative to the rear seat in the vehicle, wherein the buckle is moveable relative to the base between a stowed position and an engagement position;
• a biasing mechanism configured to apply a biasing force to the buckle, the biasing force urging the buckle toward the engagement position;
• and
• a latch mechanism including a latch member and a receiving component fixedly position relative to the base, wherein the latch member is configured to be retained in the receiving component when the buckle is manually pushed in a first direction into the stowed position, the latch member is configured to be automatically released from the receiving component by manually pushing the buckle in the first direction when the buckle is in the stowed position, and the buckle is caused by the biasing force to automatically return to the engagement position when the latch member is released from the receiving component, wherein the latch mechanism includes a grab latch mechanism, the grab latch mechanism including a strike member and a grab latch, the grab latch configured to retain the strike member when the buckle is in the stowed position, and release the strike member and the buckle from the stowed position when the buckle is pushed in the first direction.