Quick release strap fastener

In a strap fastener having

• a body member with transverse side openings therein and defining an enclosure having opposing end openings including a fork end opening and a catch end opening,
• a fork having a central loop for securement to a load bearing member and a pair of resilient legs for insertion into said fork end opening, each leg defining a transversely turned out foot having a bearing ledge at the leg extremity, and an outwardly projecting knee between said loop and each of said bearing ledges, wherein said knees of said legs project into said transverse side openings in said body member and longitudinally immobilize said fork relative to said body member unless said feet are brought together by deflection of said legs transversely toward each other, and
• a catch for securement to another load bearing member, said catch including a pair of hooks to transversely deflect and engage said feet of said fork when said catch is moved into said catch end opening with said fork longitudinally immobilized in said body member and with said catch and said fork residing in coplanar relationship, and wherein said body member includes outwardly biased, inwardly deflectable arms for forcing said knees of said fork legs toward each other to disengage said feet of said fork legs from said hooks, and said body member has a catch entry slit at said catch end opening, the improvement wherein said catch entry slit forms a mouth with a central region having a uniform thickness throughout, and transverse end extremity regions that narrow in thickness proceeding in distance transversely outwardly away from said fork legs.

In a strap fastener having

• a body member with transverse side openings and defining a narrow enclosure having opposing narrow, transverse end openings including a fork end opening and a catch end opening,
• a flat fork having a central loop for securement to a load bearing member and a pair of resilient legs for insertion into said fork end opening, each leg defining a transversely turned out foot having a bearing ledge at its leg extremity and an outwardly projecting knee between said loop and said bearing ledge, wherein said knees of said legs project into said transverse side openings in said body member and longitudinally immobilize said fork relative to said body member unless said feet are brought together by resilient deflection of said legs transversely toward each other, and
• a flat catch for securement to another load bearing member, said catch including a pair of hooks to transversely deflect and engage said feet of said fork when said catch is moved into said catch end opening with said fork longitudinally immobilized in said body wherein said catch and said fork reside in mutually coplanar relationship, and wherein said body includes outwardly biased, inwardly deflectable arms for forcing said knees of said fork legs toward each other to disengage said feet of said fork legs from said hooks, and said catch end opening forms a longitudinally inwardly directed funnel entry within its structure,
• the improvement characterized in that said body member is formed with four interior corner restraints within said narrow enclosure at the outboard extremities of said catch end opening that define a mouth of said catch end opening that has opposing outboard corners that narrow with increasing distance from said fork legs.