Patent Application
20210127832
The present ligature resistant hinge cover relates generally to anti-ligature covers for furniture openings specifically, hinge covers for closing a space between a hinge and a top of the furniture, and the like.
In special care environments and institutional settings, there may be a need to provide furnishings including furniture that is designed to minimize the chance of self inflicted harm. The safety of a subject needing to be restrained includes preventing danger of harm by ligature. This need includes furniture that is ligature resistant. Ligature resistance includes furniture that does not provide a tie-off such as open loops or holes, sharp corners, protruding fixtures and edges. Of particular importance is furniture design that includes ligature-resistant door/trim designs that eliminate opportunities for a person to harm themselves. For example, if a door is hinged to a door frame, the gap between the door and the door frame must be protected to not provide an attachment point for a ligature that would enable a person to hang or strangle themselves.
Hinged doors are used on shelving and wardrobe type storage container. The hinge may attach to the door and cabinet to support the door in a swinging movement about the hinge from the closed position with door against the cabinet to an open position. Such hinged attachments must be protected to prevent a ligature tie off on top of the hinge between the door and the cabinet. The use of discrete hinges leaves the opening between hinges and above the top hinge as potential tie-offs. The use of a piano type hinge that extends along the entire length of the door prevents the danger posed between discrete hinges but leaves the top of the hinge area unprotected.
Applicant has invented a ligature resistant hinge cover adapted to resist the use of the hinged connection to the door frame as a support for a ligature. It is desired to provide a hinge cover adapted to eliminate a gap between the top of the door and door frame.
The ligature resistant hinge cover comprises a plate mounted on the door frame adjacent the hinge. The door frame may comprise a top overhang above the door and a door support side. The hinge pivotally mounting the door to the door frame may be attached to the door support side or to the front of the door frame. The hinge is further attached to the door at a hinge side. The ligature resistant hinge cover comprises an inside and an outside, a sloped top, a bottom edge, a front edge and a back edge. The sloped top extends from the back edge to the front edge. The sloped top slopes generally downward from the back edge to the front edge wherein the front edge is disposed below a top of the door. The sloped top comprises a top corner on the back edge and bottom corner on the front edge.
The ligature resistant hinge cover is attached to the furniture by a mounting flange attached to the door frame adjacent the hinge. The mounting flange disposes the sloped top above the top of the door to bridge the gap between the cabinet top and the door over the hinge. The ligature resistant hinge cover comprises a spacer adjacent to the door hinge edge. The ligature resistant hinge cover may have a convex shaped outside and a sloping top. The ligature resistant hinge cover may have a sloping top front corner above the door and a bottom front corner level preferably below the top of the door. In the door closed position, the plate is generally perpendicular to the door panel. In the door open position the spacer is generally parallel to and bearing against the door panel. The ligature resistant hinge cover has a sloping top that is sloped from back to front disposed adjacent to and generally level with or below a top edge of the door frame. The sloping top is adapted to be aligned with the top edge of the door in either the door open or door closed orientation. It should be understood that the door frame may be a frame surrounding a door as in a typical man door separating rooms in a building or the door frame may comprise a cabinet, wardrobe or cupboard attached to a door by a hinge.
The outside of the ligature resistant hinge cover may have a convex shape from the sloped top to the bottom edge. The convex shape may extend to the inside forming a knife edge like sloping top bearing against the door frame. The inside of the ligature resistant hinge cover may have a concave shape to surround the top of the door and a portion of the hinge. The concave inside may be adapted to receive and cover the top corner of the furniture.
The above description sets forth, rather broadly, the more important features of the present invention so that the detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given. Further, the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details, and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims.
