Buckle apparatus

A buckle apparatus employed in a vehicle seatbelt system for engaging with a tongue plate attached to the distal end of an occupant restraining webbing when an occupant fastens said webbing around his body, comprising:

• (a) a first plate-like buckle body;
• (b) a second plate-like buckle body which defines a space for receiving said tongue plate between the same and said first buckle body;
• (c) a lock plate supported by at least one of said buckle bodies and engaged with said tongue plate to prevent said tongue plate from being undesirably pulled out of said buckle bodies;
• and
• (d) retainer means each constituted by a projection which projects from one of said pair of buckle bodies and a recess formed in the other buckle body, said projection being received in said recess, thereby maintaining the space between said buckle bodies, said retainer means being provided at at least three positions which are spaced from each other, and one of said retainer means being constituted by a bore formed in a bent portion of one of said buckle bodies and a projection which projects from the other buckle body and is received in said bore,
• wherein said engagement recess and projection are disposed at a portion of each of said buckle bodies such as to be adjacent to each other, the engagement projection of one of said buckle bodies being engaged with the engaged recess of the other buckle body, while the engagement projection of said other buckle body is engaged with the engagement recess of said one buckle body, whereby said buckle bodies are prevented from moving in a direction which would cause them to separate.