Cord drive for coverings for architectural openings

A covering for an architectural opening, comprising:

• a rail;
• a covering extending from said rail, said covering being extendable from and retractable toward said rail;
• an input shaft mounted in said rail for rotation in clockwise and counterclockwise directions about a first axis of rotation, said input shaft being operatively connected to said covering and defining an axially oriented recess;
• a cord drive operatively connected to said input shaft, including a cord drive housing mounted on said rail and a pulley mounted for rotation on said cord drive housing;
• a pulley shaft projecting from said pulley, said pulley shaft having an external surface and having an axis that defines the axis of rotation of said pulley, which is aligned with the first axis of rotation, wherein said housing defines a stub shaft having an internal surface defining an axial opening, wherein said pulley shaft extends through said axial opening in said cord drive housing and is received in the axially oriented recess of the shaft such that the pulley and shaft rotate together, the external surface of said pulley shaft being supported for rotation by a first bearing surface defined along the internal surface of the stub shaft, with the pulley located on a first axial end of said axial opening and the input shaft located on a second axial end of said axial opening;
• and
• a cord wrapped onto said pulley, such that pulling on the cord causes rotation of said pulley, said pulley shaft, and said input shaft, wherein the cord wraps around the pulley along a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the pulley, and wherein at least a portion of said first bearing surface lies in said plane.