Over-the-door pressure sensor anti-ligature and alarm system

Apparatus for counteracting a suicide attempt of a person trying to hang himself from a cord extended over the top edge of a door and hanging downward where said door is mounted in a door frame in a room, and where said door has a top edge facing upward, an inside surface facing the interior of said room, with an upper portion thereof generally adjacent said top edge, and an opposite outside surface, said apparatus operable with an electrically activated alarm, comprising:

• a. a door including a latch assembly and its latch bolt,
• b. a frame including a strike plate into which said latch bolt is moveable to latch said door,
• c. an unlatch unit mountable in said door frame and adapted to push said latch bolt out of said strike plate when said latch bolt extends in its locked position into said strike plate, and
• d. an elongated pressure sensor when mounted on said inside surface of said door at said upper portion thereof able to activate said alarm, said sensor having a base part and an opposite exposed outer surface comprising a central portion and opposite side portions, said sensor being mountable with its base part generally parallel to and closely adjacent said inside surface of said door, and with said central portion of said sensor facing inwardly of said room when said door is closed, said sensor having an exposed surface facing away from said inside surface, said exposed surface of said surface (i) being responsive to force applied there against by a segment of the cord when draped over said top edge of said door and hanging downward adjacent said inside surface and bearing laterally against said exposed surface of said sensor, and (ii) being adapted to forward a signal indicating the sensing of said force by said cord, and
• e. an electrical controller adapted to receive said signal from said sensor indicating that a downward force has been applied by said cord, and in response to receiving said signal (i) to activate said alarm, and (ii) to direct said latch assembly to push said latch bolt out of said strike plate so that said door can open.

Apparatus for counteracting a suicide attempt of a person trying to hang himself from a cord extended over the top edge of a door and hanging downward where said door is mounted in a door frame in a room, and where said door has a top edge facing upward, an inside surface facing the interior of said room, with an upper portion thereof generally adjacent said top edge, and an opposite outside surface, operable with an electrically activated alarm, comprising:

• a. an elongated pressure sensor when mounted on said inside surface of said door at said upper portion thereof able to activate said alarm, said sensor having a base part and an opposite exposed outer surface comprising a central portion and opposite side portions, said sensor being mountable with its base part generally parallel to and closely adjacent said inside surface of said door, and with said central portion of said sensor facing inwardly of said room when said door is closed, said sensor having an exposed surface facing away from said inside surface, said exposed surface of said sensor:
• (i) being responsive to force applied there against by the segment of a cord when draped over said top edge of said door and hanging downward adjacent said inside surface and bearing laterally against said exposed surface of said sensor, and (ii) being adapted to forward a signal indicating the sensing of said force by said cord, and
• b. an electrical controller adapted to receive said signal from said sensor indicating that a downward force has been applied by said cord, and in response to receiving said signal to activate said alarm.

Apparatus for counteracting a suicide attempt of a person trying to hang himself from a cord extended over the top edge of a door and hanging downward where said door is mounted in a frame in a room, and where said door has a top edge facing upward, a latching edge, an inside surface facing the interior of said room, with an upper portion thereof generally adjacent said top edge of the door frame when the doors closed, an opposite outer surface, and a latch assembly with a latch bolt extendable outward of said latching edge, said apparatus operable with an electrically activated alarm, comprising:

• an elongated pressure sensor having a base part and an opposite exposed outer surface and being mountable generally parallel to and closely adjacent said inside surface of said door at said upper portion thereof, where the entire pressure sensor is situated at an elevation below said top edge of said door and said exposed outer surface is facing away from said inside surface of the door, said exposed outer surface of said sensor when said sensor is mounted on the door:
• (i) being responsive to force applied there against by a segment of the cord when draped over said top edge of said door and hanging downward again adjacent said inside surface and bearing laterally against said exposed outer surface of said sensor, and
• (ii) being adapted to forward a signal indicating the sensing of said force by said cord, and an electrical controller adapted to receive said signal from said sensor indicating that a downward force has been applied by said cord, and in response to receiving said signal to activate said alarm.

A door alarm system for counteracting a suicide attempt of a person trying to hang himself from a cord extended over the top edge of a door and hanging downward where said door is mounted in a door frame in a room, comprising:

• a. a door frame with a strike plate,
• b. a door that has a top edge facing upward, a latching edge, an inside surface facing the interior of said room with an upper portion thereof generally adjacent said top edge, an opposite outside surface, and a latch assembly with a latch bolt extendible outward of said latching edge for cooperation with said strike plate,
• c. an electrically activated alarm, and
• d. an elongated pressure sensor mountable generally parallel to and closely adjacent said inside surface of said door at said upper portion thereof,
• said sensor having a base part and an opposite exposed outer surface and being mountable on said inside surface of said door at said upper portion thereof, where the entire pressure sensor is situated at an elevation below said top edge of said door, said exposed outer surface of said sensor when said sensor is mounted on the door:
• (i) being responsive to force applied thereagainst by a segment of the cord when draped over said top edge of said door and hanging downward adjacent said inside surface and bearing laterally against said exposed outer surface of said sensor, and
• (ii) being adapted to activate said alarm and forward a signal indicating the sensing of said force by said cord.