Patent ID: 8534723

Claim:
A lever latch lock assembly installable in a door having interior and exterior sides, said assembly, comprising: a. a lock housing mountable in said door and having interior and exterior sides, said housing including a lock bolt movable along a first axis, a spindle extending along a second axis generally perpendicular to said first axis, said spindle extending outward at each of said interior and exterior sides of said housing and terminating in opposite ends, and a transmission which converts rotation of said spindle to axial motion said lock bolt, b. a lever assembly attached to each of said spindle's ends and adapted to rotate said spindle, said lever assembly, including: (1) an escutcheon formed as a truncated generally conical cylinder having: (i) a base part having a first diameter adapted to be situated closely adjacent one of said interior and exterior sides of said door and coaxial with said second axis, (ii) a top end part having a top surface opposite said base part, said top surface having a smaller diameter than said first diameter of said base part and having a circumferential top surface, with side walls extending between said base part and said top surface, and (iii) a bore through which extends said spindle, and (2) a lever including: (i) a hub part having a smoothly curved convex top surface with a generally round circumferential bottom edge having the same diameter as the top surface of the top end of the escutcheon, resulting in a substantially smooth continuous surface from the base part of the escutcheon toward the curved convex top surface of the hub part, a sleeve portion extending from said hub part configured to be received into said escutcheon to engage with said spindle; (ii) an elongated handle part extending from one side of said hub part in a direction transverse of said second axis of said spindle, said handle part having a free end opposed to said hub part, said handle part having a top part that extends as a smooth continuous uninterrupted surface with said top surface of the of said hub part, said handle part extending a radial distance from said second axis greater than the length of a radius of said base part, wherein, when a cord is wrapped around the hub part during a suicide attempt, the smooth continuous surfaces of the hub part are configured to allow the cord to slip over the hub part onto the lever, and the smooth continuous surfaces of the lever are configured to allow the cord to slip and decoupled from the lever, therefore, preventing the attempted suicide.