System for confining lift cords in coverings for architectural openings

A system for limiting the size of a loop that can be formed in a flexible vertically extending lift cord in a covering for an architectural opening, the system comprising:

• a headrail,
• a bottom rail,
• a flexible pleated shade material extending between said headrail and said bottom rail,
• a plurality of guide rings connected to said shade material at spaced locations,
• a lift cord interconnecting said headrail to said bottom rail and extending in closely adjacent relationship to said shade material between said headrail and said bottom rail, and
• an elongated, flexible, substantially non-extensible protector associated with said lift cord from said headrail to said bottom rail, said protector being made of a mesh material and being operatively secured to said shade material at vertically spaced locations corresponding to said guide rings to establish a fixed length segment of said mesh material extending from one said location to the next adjacent said location, said fixed length segment limiting the size of a loop which can be formed in said protector to a predetermined size, wherein said protector is disposed at least partially between said guide rings and said shade material, and wherein said guide rings are connected to said shade material through said protector.

A covering for an architectural opening comprising:

• a headrail;
• a bottom rail;
• a shade material operably coupled to said headrail and said bottom rail;
• a plurality of guide rings coupled to said shade material at vertically-spaced locations;
• a lift cord operably coupled to said headrail and said bottom rail and extending adjacent to said shade material between said headrail and said bottom rail;
• and
• a protector operably associated with said lift cord and coupled to said shade material at vertically spaced locations, said lift cord at least partially located between said protector and said shade material;
• wherein said protector is positioned adjacent said guide rings, and wherein said guide rings are coupled to said shade material through said protector to limit the motion of said protector relative to said shade material.