Hook with ligature-resistance for suspending personal items from a wall or door

A mountable ligature-resistant hook for supporting a personal article from a wall or door, comprising:

• a baseplate having a planar rear surface for attachment to the wall or door;
• a rotating tab having a cylindrical body rotatably coupled to the baseplate and an extension portion for receiving and retaining the personal article and mechanically connected to the cylindrical body so that the extension portion rotates in concert with the cylindrical body, wherein the extension portion has a parabolic or semi-circular profile extending radially from the cylindrical body portion and rearward toward the cylindrical body from a apex point thereof, whereby the parabolic or semi-circular profile provides contact areas for contacting a strap of the personal article on either side of the rotating tab, wherein the extension portion has a lip providing the parabolic or semicircular profile of the extension portion, and a rigid mounting flange extending from the cylindrical body portion of the rotating tab, wherein the lip is separable from the rigid mounting flange;
• a spring having a first end mechanically coupled to the rotating tab and a second end mechanically coupled to the baseplate for restoring the extension portion of the rotating tab to an upward position, wherein, in the upward position, the extension portion of the rotating tab away from the baseplate extends upward along a direction at least 30 degrees from a direction perpendicular to the planar rear surface of the baseplate, so that a loop formed around the extension portion of the rotating tab is held by the extension portion of the rotating tab unless the weight applied to the loop exceeds a threshold weight dependent on a spring constant of the spring;
• and
• a cover for covering the baseplate and defining an aperture through which the extension portion of the rotating tab projects, wherein an exterior profile of the cover above the aperture at opposing sides of the aperture extends outward from the baseplate and downward at an angle exceeding 30 degrees from the perpendicular direction, so that a loop formed around the extension portion of the rotating tab and the cover and pulled downward is drawn outward to contact the rotating tab, such that if a weight on the loop exceeds the threshold weight, the rotating tab rotates to release the loop.

A method of supporting a personal article from a wall or door while preventing formation of a ligature, the method comprising:

• mounting a baseplate having a planar rear surface to the wall or door;
• providing a rotating tab rotatably coupled to the baseplate for receiving and retaining the personal article, wherein the rotating tab include a cylindrical body portion rotatably coupled to the baseplate and an extension portion providing the extension that extends through the aperture defined by the cover, wherein the rotating rotates the extension portion in concert with the cylindrical body via mechanical connection of the extension portion to the cylindrical body, and wherein the extension portion has a parabolic or semi-circular profile extending radially from the cylindrical body portion and rearward toward the cylindrical body from an apex point thereof, whereby the parabolic or semi-circular profile provides contact areas for contacting a strap of the personal article on either side of the rotating tab;
• restoring the rotating tab to an upward position by a restoring-force providing member, wherein, in the upward position, an extension of the tab away from the baseplate extends upward along a direction at least 30 degrees from a direction perpendicular to the planar rear surface of the baseplate, so that a loop formed around the extension of the rotating tab is held by the extension of the tab unless the weight applied to the loop exceeds a threshold weight dependent on a restoring force characteristic of the restoring-force-providing member;
• covering the baseplate with a cover defining an aperture through which the extension projects;
• directing a loop formed around the rotating tab and the cover and outward to contact the rotating tab via an exterior profile of the cover above the aperture at opposing sides of the aperture that extends outward from the baseplate and downward at an angle exceeding 30 degrees from the perpendicular direction when the loop is pulled downward, so that a loop formed around the extension portion of the rotating tab and the cover and pulled downward is drawn outward to contact the rotating tab;
• and
• the rotating tab rotating to release the loop if a weight on the loop exceeds the threshold weight.