Ligature-resistant cover for securing wall-mounted devices

A ligature-resistant cover, comprising:

• a wall plate for securing to a wall and having a central aperture for accommodating a wall-mounted device;
• a cover portion having a first curvature extending along a front thereof from a bottom of the cover portion to an apex line and a second curvature extending along the front from a top of the cover portion and extending to the apex line so that the first curvature and the second curvature provide a continuously curving front surface of the cover portion, and wherein a back profile of the cover portion matches a mating surface on a front profile of the wall plate in width and height, and wherein the wall plate has an incline or third curvature at a top face thereof that provides a first continuously sloping surface that prevents support of a ligature by the top face of the wall plate and at a junction between the cover portion and the wall plate, wherein the wall plate has a fourth curvature at a bottom face thereof to reduce an angle between the bottom face of the wall plate and the second curvature, so that when the cover portion is secured to the wall plate, the bottom face of the wall plate and the cover portion provide a second continuously sloping surface below the apex line and extending from the apex line to the wall, wherein the back profile of the cover portion has all peripheral edges lying in a second plane, wherein the wall plate has a front face having the planar mounting surface with dimensions matching the dimensions of the back face of the wall plate, so that the back profile of the cover portion and the front face of the wall plate have a contact area lying in the third plane and the second plane when the cover portion is installed, wherein the front face of the wall plate further includes ridge protrusions extending along the top edge and bottom edge thereof, and wherein the top and bottom edges of the cover portion have an indentation extending along the bottom and top edges thereof that is dimensioned to receive at least a portion of a corresponding one of the protrusions, so that a ship-lap joint is formed along a top edge and a bottom edge of the ligature-resistant cover to prevent insertion of a ligature between the wall plate and the cover portion along a top and bottom edge of the cover portion, wherein the cover portion has a fifth curvature extending from a first side of the cover portion to a first end of the apex line and a sixth curvature extending from a second side of the cover portion to a second end of the apex line, wherein the fifth curvature is a radius extending from the first end of the apex line along the front of the cover portion and extending to a first vertical line along a first side of the cover portion and wherein the first side of the cover portion is inclined inward from the back of the cover portion to the first line, and wherein the sixth curvature is a radius extending from the second end of the apex line along the front of the cover portion and extending to a second vertical line along a second side of the cover portion and wherein the second side of the cover portion is inclined inward from the back of the cover portion to the first line wherein first and second sides of the cover portion are inclined inward at an angle of 15 degrees from a direction perpendicular to the wall toward a midpoint of the apex line, wherein the back profile of the cover portion and the front profile of the wall plate define passages that permit entry and exit of air between an interior and an exterior of the ligature-resistant cover, wherein the passages are blind passages having at least one turn such that an object cannot be passed therethrough in a single direction;
• and
• a locking mechanism provided on the cover portion for securing the cover portion to the wall plate, wherein the locking mechanism has a member that flexes to permit the cover portion to be installed to the wall plate when the locking mechanism is secured in a locked position, wherein the wall plate incorporates first mating features and the cover portion comprises second mating features for securing the cover portion to the wall plate, wherein the first mating features are voids in the wall plate and the second mating features are hooks provided inside of the back profile of the cover portion for hooking into the voids to secure the cover portion to the wall plate, wherein the voids are rectangular voids disposed along a bottom portion of the wall plate and along a top portion of the wall plate, and wherein the voids have a rectangular profile of two differing widths along their length which extends parallel to the apex line of the cover portion when the cover portion is installed, so that the hooks are insertable in a corresponding ones of the voids in the portion of the rectangular profile that has a greater one of the two differing widths, and wherein the hooks are secured by sliding the cover portion along a direction of the apex line so that the hooks slide into the portion of the rectangular profile that has a lesser one of the two differing widths.

A method of securing a wall-mounted device and preventing ligature formation over the wall-mounted device, the method comprising:

• providing a wall with a wall-mounted device;
• fastening a wall plate of an anti-ligature device cover to the wall, the wall plate having a central aperture for surrounding the wall-mounted device;
• attaching a cover portion of the anti-ligature device cover to the wall plate, the cover portion having a first curvature extending along a front thereof from a bottom of the cover portion to an apex line and a second curvature extending along the front from a top of the cover portion and extending to the apex line so that the first curvature and the second curvature provide a continuously curving front surface of the cover portion, and wherein a back profile of the cover portion matches a mating surface of a front profile of the wall plate in width and height, and wherein the wall plate has an incline or third curvature at a top face thereof that provides a first continuously sloping surface that prevents support of a ligature by the top face of the wall plate and at a junction between the cover portion and the wall plate;
• and
• operating a locking mechanism provided on the cover portion to secure the cover portion to the wall plate.