Patent Application
20180213957
The present invention relates to a portable food container having a plate-shaped base part and a cover which is able to be positioned onto the base part, locking elements which are movable in each case via a fixed pivot pin being connected to the base part, the base part and the cover being able to be connected together by the locking elements, wherein the locking elements are pivotable to and fro about the associated pivot pin between an open position and a locked position, the respective pivot pin being located between the ends of the associated locking element, a first end of one respective locking element remote from the pivot pin being configured as an actuating surface and the opposing second end being configured as a locking body, the locking elements in their locked position with the locking body configured on the second end blocking a lift-off movement of the cover from the base part and, via contact surfaces configured on the locking elements, the locking elements being non-positively and/or positively in engagement with corresponding contact surfaces on the cover in the locked position.
A generic food container is disclosed in the document DE 20 2010 001 881 U1. Such food containers are used for the transport of pies, cakes or pastries but also other foods such as cheese, breads, salad and the like. Some of these foods are very sensitive to the acting forces and therefore have to be correctly and carefully shielded in the transport container. It is advantageous during transport if as far as possible no components of the transported food escape to the outside, such as for example liquids.
If the base part is intended to be covered by the cover, the cover has to be adjusted accurately into the seat provided therefor. The locking elements disclosed therein thus have to be pressed manually into the locked position. Since the locking bodies only have a small spatial dimension, the contact surfaces have to be positioned accurately relative to one another. This does not always work at the first attempt, so that several attempts are required in order to lock a cover securely. Since additionally via the large actuating surface a large force may be applied onto the relatively small locking body, there is the risk that the locking bodies in the contact region are overloaded, are deformed and become loose. Then the cover is no longer able to be locked securely.
It is the object of the present invention to simplify the operation and handling of the food container.
The object is achieved for a generic food container, by the actuating surface of one respective locking element being configured on the side of the pivot pin facing inwardly toward the bearing surface of the base part, the base part at least in the region of one respective locking element having a receiving space into which a downwardly facing actuating lug, which is configured on the bottom edge of the cover on the base side, is able to be lowered along a lowering path, the first end of one respective locking element which is configured as an actuating surface protruding sufficiently far into the receiving space that, from the open position into the locked position, it reaches into the lowering path of the actuating lug in the receiving space, the first end being movable from its open position by a pivoting movement about the associated pivot pin downwardly into the locked position thereof, and after the actuating lug strikes the actuating surface with a continued lowering movement of the actuating lug along the lowering path, the first end as a lever arm is movable by said actuating lug from the open position downwardly into the locked position thereof, wherein by the pivoting movement of the first end of the respective locking element the second end of this locking element is also pivoted from the open position into the locked position.
By means of the embodiment according to the invention of the locking elements, it is possible to lock the locking elements simply by positioning the cover onto the base part. The locking is implemented via the lifting movement which the actuating lugs on the cover carry out into the receiving space along the lowering path when the cover is positioned on the base part. The lifting movement of the actuating lugs triggers pivoting movements of the locking elements, said locking elements being pivoted in the path thereof from the open position into their locked positions. In this case, it is irrelevant whether the transport container is designed to be round, oval or with a plurality of corners. The locking elements may be attached to any desired container shape at suitable positions, and namely preferably at least two, three or four locking elements.
The contact surfaces on the actuating lugs and the locking elements may be configured to be correspondingly large-surfaced, depending on the width and peripheral extent of the receiving space. The larger surfaces permit a low specific loading per surface unit than is the case in the device known from the prior art. The lower specific loading per surface unit results in reduced material wear, components of larger dimensions, the possibility of improved positioning of the cover on the base part, reduced deformation of the locking elements in the case of an acting locking force and a defined locking behavior resulting therefrom.
In addition, a plurality of handles are no longer required in order to lock a cover onto a base part. It is sufficient to position the cover onto the base part such that in this case the actuating lugs slide into the receiving spaces. Then the cover only has to be pressed with a slight holding pressure onto the base part, whereby the locking elements pivot into their locked position. Subsequent manual locking of the individual locking elements may be dispensed with.
The cover and the locking elements are not able to be easily released from the locked position inadvertently since, even to be able to move out of their locked position, the locking elements would have to lift the cover during an opening movement. The weight of the positioned cover and the frictional forces which result from the bearing of the cover on surface parts of the base part provide an additional security such that the cover does not move out of the locked position during the transport of the transport container.
The pivoting movements which the locking elements perform during a locking procedure may also be visually monitored immediately during a positioning procedure of the cover. When the locking elements have moved into the locked position, the positioning and locking procedure of the cover is complete without it requiring further handling. If this is not the case, the cover may be removed again immediately in order to check whether any foreign bodies are located in the receiving space in the lowering path of the cover.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking elements in their locked position encompass the lower and outer edges of the cover from the outside with their second end. In this manner, the locking elements form a part of the external periphery and the outer surface of the transport container. If the transport container is designed to be gripped and lifted, in this case the locking elements may be grasped by the hands and as a result may be additionally secured against inadvertent opening. The locking elements may have a shape which is particularly advantageous for handling and which is adapted to a hand gripping the locking elements. The locking elements in this case may form carry handles protruding laterally over the external periphery of the cover body and the base part, the transport container being able to be grasped and carried thereon.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a gripping edge is configured on the second end of one respective locking element, the locking elements being able to be grasped thereon and in each case manually moved from the locked position into the open position. The gripping edge is configured such that it extends exactly or at least approximately parallel to the pivot pin at a distance from said pivot pin and along the pivot pin. With a pulling movement on the gripping edge, therefore, a locking body is able to be pivoted out of the locked position toward the open position. In order to be able to be correctly grasped and to provide effective protection against slippage, in the locked position of the locking element the gripping edge protrudes at least approximately by the thickness of a finger over the surrounding external surface of the cover and/or the base part. Below the uppermost edge of the gripping edge a bearing surface intersecting the uppermost edge may be configured for the fingers so that the fingers are not able to slip easily when pulling on the locking element. Since with a pivoting movement of the second end about the pivot pin the first end of the locking element is moved about the pivot pin, an opening movement of a locking element via the movement of the first end thereof which is associated therewith always effects a lifting movement of the cover out of its locked position. The cover may be subsequently removed more easily from the base part.
According to one embodiment of the invention, latching lugs are configured on the locking elements and/or on the cover in the region of the contact surfaces, with a pivoting movement of the locking elements into the locked position said latching lugs engaging in corresponding latching lugs of an adjacent component, and as a result positively securing the locking elements in the locked position. By the latching of the locking elements in their locked position, said locking elements are secured even more effectively against unintentional opening of the locking elements. The latching lugs are preferably located on the inner face of the locking elements in the region of the second end. Here the second end may be easily raised when the locking element is opened and the latching lug may be guided over the associated latching lug of the corresponding component in order to release the lock again by means of the latching lug.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the actuating lug is configured as a projection which extends in the direction of the lowering path and which, facing downwardly, extends away from the peripheral bottom edge of the cover, and the peripheral bottom edge of the cover in the locking region with a locking element has a support projection which extends at least approximately or exactly in a direction transversely to the lowering path, a portion of the base part abutting against the externally facing front surface thereof in the locked position of the cover, said portion of the base part being connected to the pivot pin and contact surfaces being configured on the upper face of said portion of the base part, the contact surfaces of a locking element bearing thereagainst in the locked position thereof. The projection is well suited for transmitting adjusting forces from the lowering movement of the cover onto the first end of the locking element. The projection extends at least partially over the distance at which the first and second ends of a locking element are separated relative to one another. The projection also supports the support projection downwardly in the locked position. The support projection extends outwardly in the radial direction of the base part transversely through the receiving space. In the locked position, the support projection with its outwardly facing front face supports the portion of the base part, which is connected to the pivot pin, inwardly in the transverse direction. The projection, the support projection, the first and second ends of a locking element, and the pivot pin configured in the base part, with their support in the base part form in the locked position a geometry in which these parts are mutually supported without clearance, and fixedly and securely fix the locking element in the locked position.
The locking action may only be released by the second end of the locking element with its contact surfaces and/or even—depending on the design—with the latching lug being lifted and pivoted away by a pivoting movement from the contact surfaces on the support projection, as a result the support projection being able to be removed upwardly from the portion of the base part which is connected to the pivot pin, and subsequently only the projection is still in contact with the first end of the locking element before the projection located on the cover is lifted out of the receiving space counter to the lowering direction along the lowering path. In reverse, after a lowering movement of the projection into the receiving space, the locking is only produced in a particularly stable manner when the front face of the support projection is brought into engagement with the corresponding contact surface of the base part which is connected to the pivot pin.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the receiving space is also configured for receiving the projection outside the extent of the locking elements on the base part, in the locked position of the cover the support projection in this region bearing with its front surface against the inner face of the wall of the receiving space and in the locked position of the cover the projection in this region bearing with its lower face against the base of the receiving space. Since the cover is also supported outside the regions in which the cover is connected via the locking elements to the base part, via the projection and the support projection on the base part, this results in a very rigid connection in which the transport container only twists slightly, even in the case of loads acting unevenly thereon. Also, in this case the projection and the support projection act in different force directions in order to receive acting loads. If the receiving space externally surrounds a substantial part of the base part or the entire base part, liquids which escape from the food transported in the transport container, such as for example cream or liquid from a cake, may also be collected easily therein. The projection and the support projection then form a type of barrier which prevents liquids from freely escaping. The intermediate space between the projection and the support projection and the receiving space itself is thus a channel in which liquid entering the receiving space at one point may be distributed over the length thereof before the liquid escapes to the outside. Even if the projection and the transverse projection do not have to be configured to provide a full seal, in any case they form in the receiving space an additional barrier which prevents the liquid from escaping to the outside.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking elements are connected to the pivot pin via a pivoting latching device configured in the respective locking element. The latching elements of the pivoting latching device permit a simple clipping of the locking elements onto the axle end of the pivot pin in the base part. The locking elements may also be subsequently lifted off again relatively easily, for example for cleaning purposes. However, the locking elements are held sufficiently fixedly on the pivot pin in order to be able to fulfill the locking function. To this end, the tabs of the pivoting latching elements are correspondingly dimensioned to fit by their material and the material thickness.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the surfaces of the locking elements, the cover and/or the base part are provided with a soft plastics material in the regions which are suitable for gripping. The term “soft plastics material” is understood as materials which convey a softer, more pleasant gripping sensation in comparison with the material used elsewhere for the transport container. The surface parts provided with the soft plastics material also convey an impression of a high-quality product. By different designs in corresponding colors, the surface components designed in soft plastics material also indicate where it is most appropriate to grip the transport container.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a presentation plate which is releasably connected to the base part may be positioned thereon. The presentation plate may be lifted off the base part in order to be able to present the food, which is positioned thereon and which is separated from the base part and the connecting technology thereof, on a display surface. The presentation plate may be designed to be of particularly high quality in terms of appearance, for example by an inserted in-mold label which gives an impression of high-quality, such as a wooden, stone or marble or porcelain decoration, or may be produced directly from one of these materials, or show other displays suitable for the presentation of food, such as fruit, bread items, herbs or the like. It is possible for the presentation plate to be able to be retrofitted and/or replaced, so that, for example, a set comprising a base part and a cover may be sold combined with a plurality of presentation plates of different designs in a product packaging. The presentation plates may also be bought separately and combined in any manner with the transport container. The presentation plate may have specific shaped parts, for example for muffins, it may have cutting grooves in order to simplify the cutting of pies, for example, or air holes may also be configured in the surface in order to discharge liquids downwardly.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a hollow space is configured between the presentation plate and the base part. The hollow space permits a larger presentation plane of the food arranged on the presentation plate. The hollow space, however, may also be used in order to transport cutlery, napkins and decorations for the food therein.
Reference is expressly made to the fact that each of the above-described embodiments of the invention in each case is able to be combined individually, but also in any combination with one another, with the subject-matter of the main claim, provided there are no technically insurmountable obstacles preventing this.
Further modifications and embodiments of the invention may be derived from the following description of the subject-matter and the drawings.
The invention is now described in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
A food container 2 which is able to be substantially made up of a base part 4 and a cover 6 which is able to be positioned thereon is shown in
The locking elements 8 in each case are pivotable about a pivot pin 10. In order to pivot the locking elements 8, the cover 6 is lowered with the actuating lugs 18 located on the bottom edge of the cover 6 on the bottom side onto the respective actuating surface 12 located at the first end of a locking element 8. With a further lowering of the cover 6 along a lowering path into the receiving space 16, the respective actuating lug 18 presses down the actuating surface 12 of a locking element 8 assigned thereto. By the downward movement of the actuating surface 12 at the first end of the locking element 8, this locking element pivots about the pivot pin 10, wherein the second end of the relevant locking element pivots out of the open position in the direction of the locked position. If the cover 6 with the actuating lugs 18 reaches its end position along the lowering path, by the respective pivoting movements about the pivot pin 10, the locking elements 8 have reached their locked position in which they secure the cover 6 against being inadvertently lifted off the base part 4.
If the cover 6 is intended to be removed again from the base part 4, the locking elements 8 may be gripped on the gripping edge 20 and pulled outwardly in the radial direction. With the pivoting movement of the locking elements 8 thus produced, the cover 6 is lifted via the actuating surfaces 12 configured at the first end, so that said cover may be lifted easily off the base part 4 again after pivoting away the locking elements 8 out of the locked position.
In
The details of the locking technology and the sequence of a locking process are shown in enlarged sectional views in
In the enlarged view of
On the locking element 8 are located contact surfaces 26 which in the locked position may be in contact with contact surfaces 28 on the cover 6 but depending on the design of the base part 4 additionally may also be in contact with the contact surfaces 30 on the base part 4.
The views of
The rotational movements which the actuating surface 12 at the first end of the locking element 8, on the one hand, and the locking body 14 at the second end of the locking element 8, on the other hand, perform during a locking procedure are illustrated in
In order to be able to release the locking element 8 again from the locked position shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, latching lugs 32a, 32b are located on the locking element 8 and on the cover 6, said latching lugs being in engagement with one another in the locked position shown in
Contact surfaces 28 are also configured on the upper face of the support projection 36, the contact surfaces 26 of a locking element 8 bearing thereagainst in the locked position thereof.
In
The exemplary embodiment described above serves only for describing the invention. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment. It is easy for the person skilled in the art to modify the exemplary embodiment in a suitable manner in order to adapt it to a practical application.
The specification incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of European priority document 17 154 472.9 having a priority filing date of Feb. 2, 2017.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 154 472.9 | Feb 2017 | EP | regional |
