Service belt buckle

1. A belt buckle of narrow profile for police or other persons wearing a service belt to carry equipment, comprising:

a male buckle component and a female buckle component, each having a belt securement means at an outer side of the component for securement of a belt end with a belt width of a preselected size,

the female component including a casing at an inboard side of the female component in position to receive the male component, the casing including an elongated internal slot in vertical orientation, said vertical orientation being perpendicular to the length of a belt which would be secured by said belt securement means, the internal slot being open at one end of the slot to receive the male component, and the casing having a narrow elongated slit parallel to the elongated internal slot, the slot being open to an exterior of the female component through the slit,

the male component including an elongated connecting lug at an inboard side of the male component in vertical orientation in position to engage with the casing of the female component, the lug having an exterior shaped to fit closely in the internal slot of the casing of the female component so as to be slidable vertically into said one open end of the internal slot until the lug is contained in the internal slot of the casing,

the male component including a thin bridging plate connecting said outer side of the male component to the lug, the thin bridging plate fitting closely into said elongated slit in the casing of the female component to permit the lug to slide into the elongated slot of the casing without interference from the outer side of the male component, and such that when the male and female components are engaged together the outer side of the male component is nested closely against the inboard side of the female component, and

the lug having an integrally formed spring latch comprising a leaf spring arm extending angularly outwardly from the lug, and having a cantilevered free end with a latch component, and the casing of the female component having an open notch positioned to be engaged by the latch component when the lug is fully inserted into the casing slot so as to latch and retain the lug in the casing,

the latch component comprising a knob positioned to snap outwardly away from the wearer and into the open notch when the male component is fully inserted, such that the knob can be depressed by a user against the force of the leaf spring arm to push the knob out of the notch and release the buckle by sliding the male component out of the slot,

whereby the buckle secured together and in use will occupy a minimal amount of belt laterally.