Portable Food Container

Abstract

A portable food container has a plate-shaped base part and a cover to be positioned on the base part. Locking elements are provided on the base part and are movable in each case via a fixed pivot pin connected to the base part. Contact surfaces are configured on the locking elements and the locking elements are non-positively and/or positively in engagement with corresponding contact surfaces on the cover in the locked position. With a lowering movement into the base part and through downwardly facing actuating lugs, the cover actuates the locking elements which move at the same time out of the open position into their locked position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A portable food container ( 2 ) comprising:
 a plate-shaped base part ( 4 );   a cover ( 6 ) configured to be positioned on the base part ( 4 ) and comprising contact surfaces ( 28 );   locking elements ( 8 ) provided on the base part ( 4 ), wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) each are pivotably supported on a pivot pin ( 10 ) fixedly connected to the base part ( 4 ), wherein the base part ( 4 ) and the cover ( 6 ) are connectable to each other by the locking elements ( 8 );   wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) are pivotable to and fro about the pivot pin ( 10 ) between an open position and a locked position;   wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) each comprise a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the first end comprises an actuating surface ( 12 ) and the second end comprises a locking body ( 14 ), wherein the pivot pin ( 10 ) is arranged between the first end and the second end, wherein, in the open position, the locking body ( 14 ) is remote from the base plate ( 4 ) relative to the pivot pin ( 10 ) and the actuating surface ( 12 ) is proximal to the base plate ( 4 ) relative to the pivot pin ( 10 );   wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) block with the locking body ( 14 ) a lift-off movement of the cover ( 6 ) from the base part ( 4 ) in the locked position;   wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) each comprise contact surfaces ( 26 ) engaging non-positively and/or positively the contact surfaces ( 28 ) of the cover ( 6 ) in the locked position;   wherein the base part ( 4 ) comprises a receiving space ( 16 ) in an area of the locking elements ( 8 ), respectively;   wherein the cover ( 6 ) comprises a bottom edge facing the base plate ( 4 ) in the locked position, wherein the cover ( 6 ) comprises an actuating lug ( 18 ) arranged on the bottom edge of the cover ( 6 ) and facing downwardly away from the bottom edge;   wherein the actuating surface ( 12 ) protrudes into the receiving space ( 16 );   wherein the actuating lug ( 18 ), when lowered along a lowering path into the receiving space ( 16 ), acts on the actuating surface ( 12 ) to pivot the first end downwardly about the pivot pin ( 10 ) and the locking body ( 14 ) upwardly against the contact surfaces ( 28 ) of the cover ( 6 ) so that the locking elements ( 8 ) pivot about the pivot pin ( 10 ) from the open position into the locked position.   
     
     
         2 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the second end of the locking elements ( 8 ) in the locked position encloses the bottom edge and an outer edge of the cover ( 6 ) externally. 
     
     
         3 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the second end comprises a gripping edge ( 20 ) configured to be grasped and manually actuated to move the locking elements ( 8 ) from the locked position into the open position. 
     
     
         4 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the cover ( 6 ) comprises latching lugs ( 32   b ) and the locking elements ( 8 ) comprise latching lugs ( 32   a ) in a region of the contact surfaces ( 26 ,  28 ), respectively, wherein, when the locking elements ( 8 ) pivot into the locked position, the latching lugs ( 32   a ) of the locking elements ( 8 ) engage the latching lugs ( 32   b ) of the cover ( 6 ) to positively secure the locking elements ( 8 ) in the locked position. 
     
     
         5 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuating lug ( 18 ) is an actuating projection ( 34 ) that extends in a direction of the lowering path and extends away from the bottom edge of the cover ( 6 ), wherein the bottom edge of the cover ( 6 ) in a locking region with the locking elements ( 8 ) has a support projection ( 36 ) which extends at least approximately or exactly in a direction transversely to the lowering path and comprises an externally facing front surface, wherein the contact surfaces ( 28 ) of the cover ( 6 ) are located on an upper face of the support projection ( 36 ), wherein, in the locked position of the locking elements ( 8 ), a portion of the base part ( 4 ) abuts against the externally facing front surface and the contact surfaces ( 26 ) of the locking elements ( 8 ) bear against the contact surfaces ( 28 ) of the cover ( 6 ), wherein the portion of the base part ( 4 ) is connected to the pivot pin ( 10 ). 
     
     
         6 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 5 , wherein the receiving space ( 16 ) is configured to receive the actuating projection ( 34 ) in regions adjacent to the locking elements ( 8 ), wherein, in the locked position, the support projection ( 36 ) in the regions adjacent to the locking elements ( 8 ) bears with the front surface against an inner face of a wall of the receiving space ( 16 ) and, in the locked position, the actuating projection ( 34 ) bears in the regions adjacent to the locking elements ( 8 ) with a lower face against a base of the receiving space ( 16 ). 
     
     
         7 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the locking elements ( 8 ) are connected to the pivot pin ( 10 ) by a pivoting latching device provided in the respective locking element ( 8 ). 
     
     
         8 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein surfaces of the locking elements ( 8 ), of the cover ( 6 ) and/or of the base part ( 4 ) are provided with a soft plastics material in regions which are suitable for gripping. 
     
     
         9 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 1 , further comprising a presentation plate ( 22 ) which is releasably connected to the base part ( 4 ). 
     
     
         10 . The portable food container ( 2 ) according to  claim 9 , wherein a hollow space ( 24 ) is configured between the presentation plate ( 22 ) and the base part ( 4 ).