| 摘要 |
<p>Disclosed is a locking member (30) to be used in conjunction with a guide ring (20) and a lift cord (18) configured to raise or lower a curtain covering or roman blind for an architectural opening, such as a window, door or the like, to prevent large loops forming in the cord, which pose a strangling and safety hazard. The apparatus for locking a lift cord (18) designed to lift coverings for architectural openings, comprises a locking member having a groove (34) and at least one opening, wherein the groove is configured to engage a guide ring (20) attached to a covering for an architectural opening and the at least one opening is configured to receive the lift cord such that the lift cord passes through both the guide ring and the locking member The locking member is configured to engage the guide ring and the lift cord such that the locking member allows the lift cord to freely move in and out of the at least one opening in a first direction to raise or lower the covering. The locking member moves about the guide ring when the lift cord is pulled in a second direction to pinch the lift cord between the locking member and the guide ring to prevent the lift cord from being pulled away from the covering far enough to create a loop of a certain diameter. The locking member and the guide ring maintain contact with the lift cord while the lift cord is being pulled in the second direction; and wherein the second direction is different from the first direction. The guide ring has a thickness and the groove has a width that corresponds to the thickness of the guide ring. The locking member further comprises a first interior wall and a second interior wall, each of the first interior wall and the second interior wall having an angle sufficient to allow the locking member to freely rotate around the guide ring enough to pinch the lift cord when the lift cord is pulled in a direction other than the first direction used to raise or lower the covering.</p> |
