External motor drive system for window covering system with continuous cord loop

A drive system for use with a window covering system including a headrail, a mechanism associated with the headrail for spreading and retracting a window covering, and a continuous cord loop extending below the headrail for actuating the mechanism for spreading and retracting the window covering, the drive system comprising:

• a motor configured to rotate an output shaft of the motor;
• a drive assembly configured for engaging and advancing the continuous cord loop coupled to the mechanism for spreading and retracting the window covering, wherein advancing the continuous cord loop in a first direction spreads the window covering, and advancing the continuous cord loop in a second direction retracts the window covering;
• and
• a controller for providing positional commands to the motor and the drive assembly to control the advancing the continuous cord loop in the first direction and the advancing the continuous cord loop in the second direction,
• wherein the drive system is configured to receive user input from a mobile user device to cause the controller to provide the positional commands to the motor and the drive assembly, wherein the positional commands to the motor are based on a one-axis quantitative scheme associated with the user input along an input axis of a touch interface of the mobile user device.