Anti-ligature handle and escutcheon for operating a lock
AssigneeSargent Manufacturing Company
InventorsDarren C. Eller, Ryan Piantek, Dan Riley, Andrew Geraci
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An anti-ligature handle and escutcheon for operating a lock. The handle and escutcheon are smoothly curved in all directions to eliminate hanging points and prevent suicide by preventing the attachment of a ligature to the handle or escutcheon. The handle is curved to allow fingers to be inserted behind the handle to pull on the handle. The handle is attached to a handle plate that slides behind an escutcheon plate portion of the escutcheon. Multiple ligature traps in the form of an inverted “V” are positioned in parallel offset rows between the handle plate and the escutcheon plate to prevent the insertion of a ligature around the handle and handle plate.
Claims21
An anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism mountable on a door for operating a lock mounted on the door, the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism comprising:
- a handle rotatable between an open and a closed position, the handle being shaped as a lever handle with a smoothly curved outer surface to prevent the attachment of a ligature thereto, the handle rotating about a first end of the lever handle shape to operate the lock;
- an escutcheon having an escutcheon plate oriented parallel to the door when the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism is mounted on the door;
- and
- a handle plate oriented parallel to the door when the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism is mounted on the door, the handle being securely attached to the handle plate to prevent ligatures from being inserted between the handle and the handle plate, the handle plate moving with the handle and being exposed only above the handle as the handle is rotated toward the open position to operate the lock and the handle plate moving behind the escutcheon plate between the escutcheon plate and the door as the handle is rotated to the closed position.
An anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism mountable on a door for operating a lock mounted on the door, the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism comprising:
- a handle rotatable between an open and a closed position, the handle being shaped as a lever handle with a smoothly curved outer surface to prevent the attachment of a ligature thereto, the handle rotating about a first end of the lever handle shape to operate the lock;
- an escutcheon having an escutcheon plate oriented parallel to the door when the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism is mounted on the door;
- a handle plate oriented parallel to the door when the anti-ligature handle and escutcheon mechanism is mounted on the door, the handle being securely attached to the handle plate to prevent ligatures from being inserted between the handle and the handle plate, the handle plate moving with the handle as the handle is rotated toward the open position to operate the lock and the handle plate moving behind the escutcheon plate between the escutcheon plate and the door as the handle is rotated to the closed position;
- and
- an escutcheon liner attached to the escutcheon plate and positioned between the escutcheon plate and the handle plate, the escutcheon liner including
- at least one ligature trap formed on a surface thereof between the escutcheon liner and the handle plate, the at least one ligature trap acting to prevent ligatures from being inserted between the escutcheon plate and the handle plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.