Dive resistant buckle

A dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap, comprising:

• a U-shaped housing including a pair of opposed sidewalls and a floor along which the strap travels in a tightening direction from an entrance portion towards an exit portion and in a loosening direction from said exit portion towards said entrance portion;
• a pawl pivotally mounted to said pair of opposed side walls along a first axis for engaging the strap and preventing movement of the strap in the loosening direction;
• said U-shaped housing including a pair of mounting flanges extending outwardly from said housing sidewalls having respective locations for attaching said dive resistant buckle to a surface, said respective attaching locations being spaced away from said floor in a direction of said first axis.

A dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap, comprising:

• a housing having an entrance portion and an exit portion and including a floor along which the strap travels in a tightening direction from said entrance portion towards said exit portion and in a loosening direction from said exit portion towards said entrance portion;
• a strap engagement member supported by said housing, said strap engagement member preventing withdrawal of the strap from said housing in said loosening direction;
• a mounting location for attaching said buckle to a surface, said mounting location selected to reduce or eliminate a moment acting on said buckle in the direction of the surface as the strap is tightened to said strap engagement member.

A dive resistant buckle for fastening a strap, comprising:

• housing for slidably receiving the strap, said housing having an entrance portion and an exit portion;
• means for engaging and preventing movement of the strap in a loosening direction from said exit portion toward said entrance portion while allowing movement of the strap in a tightening direction from said entrance portion toward said exit portion;
• means for mounting said buckle to a surface to resist diving of said entrance portion of said buckle towards the surface as the strap is tightened by said engaging and preventing means.

A binding including a dive resistant buckle, comprising:

• base having a boot or foot receiving area;
• at least one strap connected to said base and extendable across said boot receiving area, said at least one strap including a first section and a second section, said first and second sections being separable to receive and release the boot, said first section including a toothed surface and said second section including a boot or foot engagement strap provided with a buckle having a housing including an entrance end, an exit end, a floor along which said first section may travel, and a pawl for engaging said toothed surface, said buckle including at least one attachment location where said buckle is mounted to said boot or foot engagement strap, said at least one attachment location being spaced away from said floor in a direction of said pawl.