Patent Publication Number: US-6901988-B2

Title: Shutter-like covering and hardware for architectural opening

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This utility application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/306,049, filed 16 Jul. 2001. This application is also related to a PCT patent application No. PCT/US02/22577, filed on 16 Jul. 2002, for A Shutter-Like Covering for Architectural Openings, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/305,947, filed 16 Jul. 2001 and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to coverings for architectural openings, and more specifically to horizontal blinds, such as Venetian blinds designed to emulate the look of window shutters. 
   Venetian Blinds 
   Typically, a Venetian blind has a fixed top head rail which both supports the blind and hides the mechanisms used to raise and lower or open and close the blind. The raising and lowering is done by a lift cord attached to the bottom rail (or bottom slat). Thus, when raising a blind, at first only the bottom rail is being raised and the amount of force required is small. As the bottom rail is raised further, more of the slats are stacked on top of the bottom rail and thus progressively more force is required to continue to raise the blind. The largest amount of force will be required at the very top when literally the entire blind is being raised. In contrast, when the blind is fully lowered, only the bottom rail is supported by the lift cord. The rest of the weight of the blind is supported by the ladder tape which has tilt cables running to, and supported by, the head rail. 
   The slats that are supported from the head rail may be allowed to tilt so as to open the blind to allow a maximum of light through the blind, or to close the blind with the room side down (the edge of the slats which is closest to the room is facing down, which means that the other edge of the slats, the edge which is closest to the window or the wall, will be facing up), or close the blind with the room side up. In some of the prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,116,356 Laborda, U.S. Pat. No. 2,218,508 Gentile, U.S. Pat. No. 2,244,094 Wread, U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,739 Weisfeld, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,082 Johnson, the head rail of the blind does pivot in order to tilt the blind. However, in these designs, the head rail does not hide the mechanisms used to raise and lower or open and close the blind. Also, as will be discussed later, in these references in which the head rail pivots, it pivots along a fixed axis, typically along the centroid of the head rail. 
   In order to accommodate the raising and lowering of the blind, lift cords are generally present in a Venetian blind, hanging off of one end of the head rail. In order to facilitate the raising of the blind stack, the lift cords generally have at least a 1-1 ratio of travel of the lift cord to travel of the blind stack. A higher ratio may be used (such as a 2-1 ratio) so that the lift cord travels twice as far as the blind stack so that the effort required to raise the blind stack is approximately one half the effort that would be required if the ratio were 1-1. Ratios lower than 1-1 are not generally used, because the effort required to raise the stack becomes too large to be comfortable and convenient for the user. Tilt cables or tilt wands may also be present to accommodate the tilting open or tilting closed of the blind stack. 
   Shutters 
   Shutters typically have louvers (which are the equivalent of the slats in a blind), but these louvers cannot be raised or lowered. They can only be tilted open or closed. In many instances, the shutter frame may be hinged so that the entire shutter may be swung open or closed. There are no cables or cords hanging off a shutter. The tilting of the louvers is typically accomplished by a tilt bar which is pivotally connected to every louver. Each of the louvers tilts along a fixed axis, typically along the centroid of the louver. In shutters, the louvers are mounted on a frame. The horizontal pieces of the frame are called rails, and the vertical pieces of the frame are called stiles. The stiles attach to the rails to enclose the louvers. There is a clearance requirement between the shutter and the window in order for the louvers to have room to tilt open. This clearance is not noticeable, even when the shutter is tilted closed, because the stiles are always framing the louvers. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The ‘louvers’ of the blind of the present invention are of similar shape to the louvers of a shutter. Even the head rail and the bottom rail of this blind are very similar to the balance of the louvers of this shutter blind. However, the shutter blind of this present invention does not have the stiles of a shutter. Thus, what really completes the illusion to help make this shutter blind system look like a shutter is the fact that all the louvers of this shutter blind, including the head rail and the bottom rail, look essentially the same, and that the entire blind stack (including the pivoting head rail and the pivoting bottom rail) pivots in unison along the elongated pivot at the centroid of each of the louvers. In addition, the mounting arrangement provides for the elongated pivot axis of each louver to traverse inwardly toward the window when the louvers tilt closed, and outwardly, away from the window, when the louvers tilt open, so that the window frame itself creates the appearance of the frame that would be provided by the rails and stiles of a traditional shutter. Thus, even without traditional shutter rails and stiles, the shutter blind system of the present invention is effectively able to give the illusion that the blind is a shutter, with the window frame taking the place of the shutter frame. 
   The louvers tilt by virtue of the fact that they are suspended off of a tilting head rail, which, in some of the embodiments described, tilts by means of a tilt bar. The lift cords are hidden inside the head rail, and they are hidden within and terminate inside of the tilt bar, so they are not visible to the user. In the event that a lift cord is visible and accessible to the user in an embodiment of the present invention, this is a single lift cord rather than the multiple cords usually available in the prior art. 
   Another objective of the present invention is to provide a shutter blind system which is so light that the raising or lowering of the blind stack may be readily accomplished even at less than a 1-1 ratio of travel of the lift cord to travel of the blind stack. However, the same shutter blind system may be readily modified, (by means of springs or spring motors, or even by using transmissions and/or lift stations as described in our U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/125,776 Counterbalanced Transport System for Blinds, which is hereby incorporated by reference) to work even when using much heavier shutter blind louvers which would otherwise necessitate a higher than 1-1 ratio of travel of the lift cord to travel of the blind stack. 
   Thus, the present invention puts forth a complete ‘shutter blind’ system with a number of components working together to make this complete shutter blind system. However, a particular embodiment of a shutter blind system made in accordance with the present invention may not necessarily incorporate all the components disclosed in this application. For instance, one embodiment may have the capability to both tilt the blind open and closed and to raise and lower the blind, while another embodiment may only allow tilting of the blind, with no capability to raise or lower the blind. Furthermore, individual components disclosed in this application may be useful and may be used individually or in combination with other components when putting together a blind other than the shutter blind disclosed in this application. By the same token, individual components disclosed in our previous U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/125,776 ‘Counterbalanced Transport System for Blinds’ may be incorporated to enhance the performance of the shutter blind of the present invention, as discussed earlier. 
   In an effort to logically and methodically cover the material of this invention, typical preferred embodiments of complete shutter blind systems made in accordance with this invention are first described in general terms in order to identify the components which make up these embodiments. Then, each component of the preferred embodiment is described in detail. Then, different embodiments of the various particular components are described. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1A  is a partially broken away perspective view of a first embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, including spring loaded end caps on the head rail, sliding slot mounting brackets, ball and socket attachment of the tilt bar to the head rail, a hand control for raising of the louvers, and a single tilt bar; 
       FIG. 1B  is an exploded view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 1A ; 
       FIG. 2A  is a partially broken away perspective view of a second embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, including a different type of mounting bracket; 
       FIG. 2B  is an exploded view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 3A  is a partially broken away perspective view of a third embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, including double tilt bars where the tilt bars conceal the lift cords and the tilt cables; 
       FIG. 3B  is an exploded view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 3A ; 
       FIG. 4A  is a partially broken away perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, including a different type of pivot linkage, and a different type of end cap; 
       FIG. 4B  is an exploded view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 4A ; 
       FIG. 5A  is a partially broken away perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, including double tilt bars where the tilt bars conceal the lift cords and the tilt cables, and a provisional manual lift for raising or lowering the blind; 
       FIG. 5B  is an exploded view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 5A ; 
       FIG. 5C  is a partially broken away perspective view of the same shutter blind as  FIG. 5A  but including a custodial wand; 
       FIG. 5D  is an expanded close-up view of the custodial wand of  FIG. 5C ; 
       FIG. 5E  is a partially broken away perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a shutter blind made in accordance with the present invention, which is very similar to the first embodiment of  FIG. 1A  except the tilt bar  80  is shifted to the very end of the head rail so that a slightly different end cap, top bar attachment, top end cap, and bottom pivot bracket are used; 
       FIG. 5F  is an exploded perspective view of the shutter blind of  FIG. 5E ; 
       FIG. 6A  is an end view of the head rail shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 ; 
       FIG. 6B  is a broken away perspective view of the head rail of  FIG. 6A ; 
       FIG. 7A  is an end view of an alternate head rail which may be used in any of the shutter blind system embodiments of  FIGS. 1-5 ; 
       FIG. 7B  is a broken away perspective of the head rail of  FIG. 7A ; 
       FIG. 8  is a broken away plan view of the head rail of  FIGS. 1-5 ; 
       FIG. 9A  is an end view of an alternate three-piece head rail which may be used instead of the one piece head rail shown in  FIGS. 1-5 ; 
       FIG. 9B  is a broken away perspective view of the three-piece head rail of  FIG. 9A ; 
       FIG. 9C  is a broken away, exploded view of the head rail of  FIG. 9B ; 
       FIG. 10A  is an enlarged end view of one of the pieces of the three-piece head rail of  FIG. 9C ; 
       FIG. 10B  is a broken away perspective view of the head rail piece of  FIG. 10A ; 
       FIG. 11A  is an enlarged broken away perspective view of the connecting channel of the three-piece head rail of  FIG. 9A ; 
       FIG. 11B  is an enlarged end view of one of the connecting channels of  FIG. 11A ; 
       FIG. 12A  is an end view of a second alternate two-piece head rail which may be used instead of the one piece head rail shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 ; 
       FIG. 12B  is a broken away perspective view of the two-piece head rail of  FIG. 12A ; 
       FIG. 13A  is an end view of a third alternate two-piece head rail which may be used instead of the one piece head rail shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 ; 
       FIG. 13B  is a broken away perspective view of the two-piece head rail of  FIG. 13A ; 
       FIG. 14A  is an end view of a fourth alternate head rail, designed to hold weights for making a weighted head rail, which may be used instead of the one piece head rail shown in  FIGS. 1 through 5 ; 
       FIG. 14B  is a broken away perspective view of the head rail of  FIG. 14A ; 
       FIG. 15A  is a perspective view of unitary weights which may be used in the head rail of  FIGS. 14A and 14B ; 
       FIG. 15B  is an enlarged end view of one of the unitary weights of  FIG. 15A ; 
       FIG. 16A  is a perspective view of the spring loaded head rail end cap shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 16B  is an exploded view of the end cap of  FIG. 16A ; 
       FIG. 17A  is a perspective view of the end cap housing of the end cap of  FIG. 16A ; 
       FIG. 17B  is a perspective view of the opposite side of the end cap housing of  FIG. 17A ; 
       FIG. 17C  is a section view along the line  17 C— 17 C of  FIG. 17D ; 
       FIG. 17D  is an end view of the end cap housing shown in  FIG. 17B , but rotated 180 degrees; 
       FIG. 17E  is an end view of the end cap housing of  FIG. 17A ; 
       FIG. 18A  is a perspective view of one of the spring loaded pins of the end cap of  FIG. 16A ; 
       FIG. 18B  is an opposite end perspective view of the spring loaded pin of  FIG. 18A ; 
       FIG. 18C  is a section view along the line  18 C— 18 C of  FIG. 18B ; 
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of one of the springs of the end cap of  FIG. 16A ; 
       FIG. 20A  is a perspective view of a fixed pin end cap which may be used instead of one of the spring loaded end caps in a shutter blind system such as the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 20B  is an opposite end perspective view of the fixed pin end cap of  FIG. 20A ; 
       FIG. 20C  is a perspective view of the fixed pin end cap of  FIG. 20B  but rotated 90 degrees; 
       FIG. 20D  is a bottom view of the fixed pin end cap of  FIG. 20A ; 
       FIG. 20E  is an end view of the end cap of  FIG. 20A ; 
       FIG. 20F  is a top view of the fixed pin end cap of  FIG. 20A ; 
       FIG. 21  is a section view of an alternate, floating pin end cap which may be used instead of the spring loaded end caps in a shutter blind system such as the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 22A  is a plan view of the floating pin of the floating pin end cap of  FIG. 21 ; 
       FIG. 22B  is the same view as  FIG. 22A  but with the floating pin rotated 90 degrees; 
       FIG. 23A  is a perspective view of the cord glide shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 23B  is an exploded view of the cord glide of  FIG. 23A ; 
       FIG. 24A  is a section view along the line  24 A— 24 A of  FIG. 24B , but with the routing of the lift cord and the tilt cable shown; 
       FIG. 24B  is a bottom view of the cord glide of  FIG. 23A ; 
       FIG. 24C  is a section view along the line  24 C— 24 C of  FIG. 24A ; 
       FIG. 24D  is a section view of the cord glide of  FIG. 23A  mounted on the head rail as shown in  FIG. 1A , showing the routing of the lift cord when the louver is in the tilted open position; 
       FIG. 24E  is a section view, identical to that of  FIG. 24D  but showing the routing of the lift cord when the louver is in the tilted closed position; 
       FIG. 25A  is a section view along the line  25 A— 25 A of  FIG. 25B , but rotated 180 degrees; 
       FIG. 25B  is a bottom view of the glide cord housing cover of  FIG. 23B ; 
       FIG. 26A  is a perspective view of the multi-bar bottom rail attachment of  FIG. 3B ; 
       FIG. 26B  is a perspective view of the multi-bar bottom rail attachment of  FIG. 26A , but rotated 90 degrees; 
       FIG. 26C  is a bottom perspective view of the multi-bar bottom rail attachment of  FIG. 26B ; 
       FIG. 26D  is section view, along the line  26 D— 26 D of  FIG. 26A ; 
       FIG. 27A  is a perspective view of the operator bar top attachment assembly shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 27B  is an exploded view of the operator bar top attachment assembly of  FIG. 27A ; 
       FIG. 28A  is a plan view of the operator bar top attachment assembly of  FIG. 27A ; 
       FIG. 28B  is a section view along the line  28 B— 28 B of  FIG. 28A ; 
       FIG. 28C  is a section view along the line  28 C— 28 C of  FIG. 28A ; 
       FIG. 29A  is a perspective view of the operator bar top attachment assembly cover of  FIG. 27B ; 
       FIG. 29B  is a bottom perspective view of the operator bar top attachment assembly cover of  FIG. 29A ; 
       FIG. 30  is a section view of the head rail, operator bar top attachment, and top end cap of  FIG. 2A ; 
       FIG. 31  is an exploded, perspective view of the components of  FIG. 30 ; 
       FIG. 32A  is a perspective view of the operator bar top attachment assembly of  FIG. 30 ; 
       FIG. 32B  is an exploded perspective view of the operator bar top attachment assembly of  FIG. 32A ; 
       FIG. 33  is a section view along the line  33 — 33  of  FIG. 32A ; 
       FIG. 34A  is a perspective view of the ball-and-socket type operator top bar attachment assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
       FIG. 34B  is the same view as  FIG. 34A  but seen from the opposite end of the assembly; 
       FIG. 35A  is a perspective view of the “ball” part of the ball-and-socket type operator top bar attachment assembly of  FIG. 34A ; 
       FIG. 35B  is a section view along the line  35 B— 35 B of  FIG. 35A ; 
       FIG. 36A  is a perspective view of the “socket” part of the ball-and-socket type operator top bar attachment assembly of  FIG. 34A ; 
       FIG. 36B  is also a perspective view of the “socket” part of the ball-and-socket type operator top bar attachment assembly of  FIG. 34A , but seen from the opposite end; 
       FIG. 37  is a section view, identical to that of  FIG. 38 , except that it shows the relative position of the ball and of the socket parts in order to initiate the assembly; 
       FIG. 38  is a section view along the line  38 — 38  of  FIG. 34A ; 
       FIG. 38A  is a section view of the head rail, operator bar top attachment, top end cap, tilt bar, and hand control of  FIG. 1A , showing the routing of the lift cord; 
       FIG. 38B  is an exploded, perspective view of another embodiment of the top end cap which is similar to the top end cap of  FIG. 38A ; 
       FIG. 38C  is an assembled, perspective view of the end cap of  FIG. 38B ; 
       FIG. 38D  is a perspective view of the ferrule which is part of the end cap of  FIG. 38B ; 
       FIG. 38E  is an exploded, perspective view of the top end cap of  FIG. 38B  together with another embodiment of an operator top bar attachment and end cap to accommodate mounting of the operator bar at one end of the head rail, as shown in  FIGS. 5E and 5F ; 
       FIG. 38F  is an assembled, perspective view of the end cap, top bar attachment, and top end cap of  FIG. 38E ; 
       FIG. 38G  is a perspective view of the top bar attachment housing which is part of the end cap and top bar attachment of  FIG. 38E ; 
       FIG. 38H  is a section along line  38 H— 38 H of  FIG. 38F ; 
       FIG. 39A  is a partially exploded, partially broken away, perspective view of the operator bottom bar, adjustable attachment assembly of  FIG. 3B ; 
       FIG. 39B  is the same view as  FIG. 39A , but with the parts assembled; 
       FIG. 39C  is the same view as  FIG. 39B , but adjusted to a different position; 
       FIG. 39D  is a partially broken away section view of the operator bottom bar, adjustable attachment assembly of  FIG. 39B  assembled into the operator bar at one end and into the bottom rail via a multi-bar bottom attachment at the other end; 
       FIG. 40A  is a section view along the line  40 A— 40 A of  FIG. 39A ; 
       FIG. 40B  is a perspective view of the adjustable attachment housing of  FIG. 39A ; 
       FIG. 41A  is a perspective view of the operator bottom bar cap of  FIG. 39A ; 
       FIG. 41B  is a bottom perspective view of the operator bottom bar cap of  FIG. 41A ; 
       FIG. 41C  is a bottom view of the operator bottom bar cap of  FIG. 41A ; 
       FIG. 41D  is a section along the line  41 D— 41 D of  FIG. 41A ; 
       FIG. 41E  is a top plan view of the operator bottom bar cap of  FIG. 41A ; 
       FIG. 42A  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an operator bottom bar, adjustable attachment assembly which may be used instead of the assembly shown in  FIG. 39C ; 
       FIG. 42B  is the same view as  FIG. 42A , but shown in the unlocked position; 
       FIG. 42C  is a sectional view along the line  42 C— 42 C of  FIG. 42D ; 
       FIG. 42D  is a perspective view of the bottom end cap housing of the operator bottom bar, adjustable attachment assembly of  FIG. 42A ; 
       FIG. 42E  is a perspective view of the lever of the operator bottom bar, adjustable attachment assembly of  FIG. 42A ; 
       FIG. 43A  is a section view along the line  43 A— 43 A of  FIG. 42B ; 
       FIG. 43B  is a top plan view of  FIG. 42B ; 
       FIG. 44A  is a section view along the line  44 A— 44 A of  FIG. 42A ; 
       FIG. 44B  is a top plan view of  FIG. 42A ; 
       FIG. 45  is an end view of the operator bar or tilt bar extrusion of  FIGS. 1-5 ; 
       FIG. 46A  is a broken away, perspective view of the top portion of the tilt bar extrusion of  FIG. 45 ; 
       FIG. 46B  is another broken away, perspective view of the top end of the tilt bar extrusion, similar to the view of  FIG. 46A  but showing the other side of the extrusion; 
       FIG. 46C  is a side view of the tilt bar of  FIG. 45 ; 
       FIG. 47A  is a perspective view of a mounting bracket as shown in  FIG. 2B ; 
       FIG. 47B  is the same mounting bracket as  FIG. 47A  but showing the back side of the bracket; 
       FIG. 47C  is a side view of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 47A ; 
       FIG. 48A  is an exploded perspective view of a two-piece mounting bracket which may be used instead of the mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 47A ; 
       FIG. 48B  is an assembled perspective view of the two-piece mounting bracket of  FIG. 48A ; 
       FIG. 49  is an enlarged perspective view of another two-piece mounting bracket that could be used instead of the bracket of  FIG. 47A , the bracket having an open slot in front to insert a fixed-end end cap; 
       FIG. 50A  is a perspective view of a sliding-slot mounting bracket as shown in  FIG. 1B , with the sliding slot in the extended position, corresponding to when the louvers are in the open position; 
       FIG. 50B  is the same view as in  FIG. 50A , but with the sliding slot in the retracted position, corresponding to when the louvers are in the tilted closed position; 
       FIG. 50C  is an exploded perspective view of the sliding-slot mounting bracket of  FIG. 50A ; 
       FIG. 50D  is a detailed perspective view showing a slight modification of one of the slotted openings of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 50A ; 
       FIG. 50E  is a broken away schematic of the position of the head rail relative to modification of the slotted opening shown in  FIG. 50D ; 
       FIG. 50F  is a cut away, enlarged, section view along line  50 F— 50 F of  FIG. 50E ; 
       FIG. 51  is a schematic end view of an alternate mounting bracket and its corresponding head rail, which could be used instead of the end cap and bracket of  FIG. 3A ; 
       FIG. 51A  is a schematic end view, similar to that of  FIG. 51 , of an alternate mounting bracket and its corresponding head rail which could be used instead of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 51 ; 
       FIG. 51B  is the same view as in  FIG. 51A , except showing the louvers tilted closed, room side up; 
       FIG. 51C  is a schematic end view, similar to that of  FIG. 51A , of an alternate mounting bracket and its corresponding head rail which could be used instead of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 51 ; 
       FIG. 51D  is the same view as in  FIG. 51C , except showing the louvers tilted closed, room side down; 
       FIG. 51E  is a schematic end view, similar to that of  FIG. 51 , of an alternate mounting bracket and its corresponding head rail which could be used instead of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 3A , in this case the room side is to the left of the blind; 
       FIG. 51F  is the same view as in  FIG. 51E , except showing the louvers tilted closed, room side up; 
       FIG. 51G  is the same view as in  FIG. 51F , except showing the louvers tilted closed, room side down; 
       FIG. 52  is an exploded perspective view of the cam-lock hand control shown in  FIG. 1B , for raising and lowering the blind; 
       FIG. 53A  is a perspective view of the assembled cam-lock hand control of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 53B  is a perspective view of the same cam-lock hand control of  FIG. 53A , but seen from another side; 
       FIG. 54A  is a perspective view of the housing for the cam-lock hand control of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 54B  is an end view of the cam-lock hand control housing of  FIG. 54A ; 
       FIG. 54C  is a section view along the line  54 C— 54 C of  FIG. 54B ; 
       FIG. 54D  is a plan view of the right side of the cam-lock hand control housing of  FIG. 54C ; 
       FIG. 55A  is a section view along the line  55 A— 55 A of  FIG. 55B ; 
       FIG. 55B  is a perspective view of the control button of the cam-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 56  is a perspective view of the pulley pin of the cam-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 57A  is a perspective view of the pulley of the cam-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 57B  is a front view of the pulley of  FIG. 57A ; 
       FIG. 58A  is a perspective view of the locking pin of the cam-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 58B  is a top view of the locking pin of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 59  is a perspective view of the spring of the cam-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 60A  is section view along the line  60 A— 60 A of  FIG. 53B  but with the hand control of  FIG. 53B  mounted on a tilt bar extrusion and in the “locked” position as shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
       FIG. 60B  is a section through the hand control of  FIG. 53B  taken along the line  60 B— 60 B, but with the control button in the “open” position before mounting the hand control on the operator bar; 
       FIG. 60C  is the same view as in  FIG. 60A  but showing the control button depressed for sliding the hand control along the operator bar; 
       FIG. 61A  is a perspective view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 1A , 
       FIG. 61B  is an exploded view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 61A ; 
       FIG. 62A  is a perspective view of an alternate bottom pivot bracket assembly which may be used instead of the bottom pivot bracket assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
       FIG. 62B  is an exploded view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 62A ; 
       FIG. 63A  is a perspective view of the pivot arm of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 62A ; 
       FIG. 64A  is perspective view of another alternative bottom pivot bracket assembly which may be used instead of the bottom pivot bracket assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
       FIG. 64B  is the same view as that in  FIG. 64A , but showing the pivot bracket assembly in the fully retracted position, corresponding to the louvers being in the fully tilted closed position; 
       FIG. 65  is a perspective view of the pivot arm of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 61A ; 
       FIG. 66A  is a perspective view of the pivot attachment of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 61A ; 
       FIG. 66B  is a section view along the line  66 B— 66 B of  FIG. 66A ; 
       FIG. 67A  is a perspective view of another alternative bottom pivot bracket assembly which may be used instead of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 4B ; 
       FIG. 67B  is a side view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 67A ; 
       FIG. 67C  is a partially broken away section along the line  67 C— 67 C of  FIG. 67B ; 
       FIG. 68A  is an enlarged perspective view of the mounting bracket of  FIG. 67A ; 
       FIG. 68B  is a section along the line  68 B— 68 B of  FIG. 68A ; 
       FIG. 68C  is an enlarged view of the right end portion of  FIG. 68B ; 
       FIG. 69A  is a side view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 67A , but when the arm is in the retracted position, corresponding to the louvers being in the fully tilted closed position; 
       FIG. 69B  is the same view as that in  FIG. 69A , but when the arm is in the extended position, corresponding to the louvers being in the fully open position; 
       FIG. 70A  is a perspective view of the link button which ties together the mounting bracket and the pivot arm of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 67A ; 
       FIG. 70B  is a front view of the link button of  FIG. 70A ; 
       FIG. 71A  is a perspective view of the pivot arm of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 67A ; 
       FIG. 71B  is a section view along the line  71 B— 71 B of  FIG. 71A ; 
       FIG. 72A  is a partially broken away, partially exploded, perspective view of an alternate shutter blind with a bottom pivot bracket assembly designed to look like the profile of the bottom rail; 
       FIG. 72B  is a partially broken away perspective view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 72A , shown when in the fully extended position, corresponding to the louvers being in the open position; 
       FIG. 73A  is a perspective view of the pivot arm which is part of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 72A ; 
       FIG. 73B  is a top view of the pivot arm of  FIG. 73A ; 
       FIG. 73C  is a perspective view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 5F ; 
       FIG. 73D  is an exploded, perspective view of the bottom pivot bracket assembly of  FIG. 73C ; 
       FIG. 74  is an enlarged, partially broken away perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 5C ; 
       FIG. 75A  is a perspective view of the custodial wand clip of  FIG. 74 ; 
       FIG. 75B  is a side view of the custodial wand clip of  FIG. 75A ; 
       FIG. 76A  is a perspective view of the custodial wand tip of  FIG. 74 ; 
       FIG. 76B  is a bottom perspective view of the custodial wand tip, of  FIG. 76A ; 
       FIG. 76C  is a section view along the line  76 C— 76 C of  FIG. 76A ; 
       FIG. 76D  is a section view along the line  76 D— 76 D of  FIG. 76C ; 
       FIG. 77A  is an exploded perspective view of the stop block which is mounted on the tilt bar as shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 77B  is a perspective view of the assembled stop block of  FIG. 77A ; 
       FIG. 77C  is a perspective view of the stop block of  FIG. 77B  mounted on the tilt bar extrusion; 
       FIG. 77D  is a top view of the stop block and tilt bar extrusion of  FIG. 77C ; 
       FIG. 78A  is a perspective view of the provisional lift clip shown in  FIG. 5B ; 
       FIG. 78B  is another perspective view of the same provisional lift clip of  FIG. 78A , but seen from an opposite end; 
       FIG. 78C  is a side view of the provisional lift clip of  FIG. 78A ; 
       FIG. 79A  is a perspective view of one of the provisional lift finger tabs shown in  FIG. 5B ; 
       FIG. 79B  is another perspective view of the same provisional lift finger tab of  FIG. 79A , but seen from another direction; 
       FIG. 79C  is a section view along the line  79 C— 79 C of  FIG. 79A ; 
       FIG. 79D  is a top view of the provisional finger lift tab of  FIG. 79A ; 
       FIG. 79E  is the same view as  FIG. 79D  but with the tab mounted on the operator bar; 
       FIG. 79F  is a section view showing the provisional lift of  FIG. 5B , depicting the lift clip attached to the bottom rail at one end, and the finger tab locked onto the operator bar at the other end; 
       FIG. 80  is a side view of the bottom rail insert shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 80A  is a partially broken away, perspective view of the bottom rail insert of  FIG. 80 ; 
       FIG. 81A  is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom rail cord anchor shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 81B  is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom rail cord anchor of  FIG. 81A , but seen from the bottom; 
       FIGS. 82A through 82F  are perspective views showing the sequence of installation of the lift cords and tilt cables to the bottom rail anchor of  FIG. 81A , and the installation of the bottom rail anchor to the bottom rail of  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 83  is a schematic view of the inside of the head rail of  FIG. 1A , showing the routing of the lift cords through the cord guides and through the operator bar top attachment; 
       FIG. 83A  is a schematic view of the inside of the head rail, similar to  FIG. 83 , but modified to provide a multiplier effect of the lift cord as it raises or lowers the blind of FIG.  1 : 
       FIG. 83B  is the same view as  FIG. 83A  but corresponding to the blind being in the raised position; 
       FIG. 84A  is a schematic view along the line  84 — 84  of  FIG. 2A  (with the end caps removed for drawing clarity) when the louvers are fully closed in the tilted down position (room side tilted down); 
       FIG. 84B  is the same view as  FIG. 84A  but when the louvers are fully tilted open; 
       FIG. 84C  is the same view as in  FIG. 84A  but when the louvers are fully closed in the tilted up position (room side tilted up); 
       FIG. 85  is an exploded view of a slide-lock hand control which may be used instead of the cam-lock hand control of  FIG. 52 ; 
       FIG. 85A  is a perspective view of the slide-lock hand control of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 85B  is the same view as in  FIG. 85A , but with the slide-lock hand control mounted onto the operator bar; 
       FIG. 85C  is a broken away, enlarged, sectional view showing the interconnection of the grip cover and the cover housing of the slide-lock hand control of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 86  is a perspective view of the slide-lock hand control of  FIG. 85 , with the grip cover removed for clarity, showing the routing of the lift cord  12  through the slide-lock hand control; 
       FIG. 86A  is an enlarged perspective view of the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 85 , but with the grip cover removed for clarity, shown in the locked position; 
       FIG. 86B  is a side sectional view through an operator bar, showing the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 86A , indicating how the lock arm grips the operator bar extrusion to lock the slide-lock hand control assembly in place; 
       FIG. 87A  is a perspective view of the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 86A , but shown in the unlocked raising position (for lowering the louver stack); 
       FIG. 87B  is a side sectional view through an operator bar showing the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 87A , with the lock arm lifted up to unlock it from the operator bar extrusion to permit raising of the hand control (and thus lowering of the louver stack); 
       FIG. 88A  is a perspective view of the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 86A , shown in the lowering position; 
       FIG. 88B  is a side sectional view through an operator bar showing the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 88A , in the position that permits the slide-lock hand control assembly to be lowered (thus raising the louver stack); 
       FIG. 89A  is an enlarged perspective view of the slide-lock pulley housing of the slide-lock hand control assembly of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 89B  is another perspective view of the slide-lock pulley housing of  FIG. 89A ; 
       FIG. 89C  is a side view of the slide-lock pulley housing of  FIG. 89B ; 
       FIG. 90A  is an enlarged perspective view of the slide-lock housing of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 90B  is a plan view of the slide-lock housing of  FIG. 90A ; 
       FIG. 91A  is an enlarged perspective view of the slide-lock grip cover of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 91B  is a plan view looking into the slide-lock grip cover of  FIG. 91A ; 
       FIG. 92A  is an enlarged perspective view of the lock arm of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 92B  is a plan view of the lock arm of  FIG. 92A ; 
       FIG. 93A  is an enlarged perspective view of the pulley of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 93B  is a section view along the line  93 B— 93 B of  FIG. 93A ; 
       FIG. 94  is an enlarged perspective view of the pulley axle of  FIG. 85 ; 
       FIG. 95A  is a perspective view of a two-piece cord glide which may be used instead of the three-piece cord glide shown in  FIG. 1B ; 
       FIG. 95B  is an exploded view of the cord glide of  FIG. 95A   
       FIG. 96A  is a section view along the line  96 A— 96 A of  FIG. 96B ; 
       FIG. 96B  is a bottom perspective view of the cord glide of  FIG. 95A ; 
       FIG. 97  is another perspective view of the cord glide of  FIG. 95A , but seen from the opposite end: and, 
       FIG. 97A  is the same view as  FIG. 96A  but with the pulley removed to show the flange which supports the pulley. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS: 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the shutter blind  10  includes a head rail  20  and a plurality of slats or louvers  14  suspended from the head rail  20  by means of tilt cables  16  and their associated cross cords which together comprise the ladder tapes. Two lift cords  12  (not shown in these Figures) are fastened at the bottom of the bottom slat (or bottom rail)  21 , which is heavier than the other louvers  14 . The head rail  20  includes end caps  30  which pivotably mount the head rail  20  to mounting brackets  40  which secure the shutter blind  10  to the window frame. The tilt cables  16  are secured to the head rail  20  by means of cord glides  50  which also serve to guide the lift cords  12  into the head rail  20  (as seen in FIG.  83 ). The lift cords  12  travel within the head rail  20  until they exit the head rail  20  toward one end of the head rail  20  via the tilt bar top attachment  60 A, through the top end cap  70 A, down the tilt bar  80 , around a doubler pulley in the hand control  90 , and back up to be tied off at the top end cap  70 A. The bottom of the tilt bar  80  is pivotably secured to the window frame by means of a bottom pivot bracket  100 . The bottom rail  21  could be formed by placing a rail insert  110  into the bottom-most louver  14 . Cord anchors  120  are used to attach the lift cords  12  and the tilt cables  16  to the bottom rail  21 . A stop block  130  is secured to the tilt bar  80  to limit the upward travel of the hand control  90  on the tilt bar  80  so that the hand control  90  is not pushed up beyond the point where the shutter blind  10  is fully lowered. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B  depict a second embodiment of a shutter blind  10 A made in accordance with the present invention. This second embodiment  10 A is similar to the first embodiment  10 . One difference is the mounting bracket  40 A, which has a bullet shaped nose instead of the slide-slot design of the mounting bracket  40 . Also, the connection of the tilt bar  80  to the head rail  20  is via a buttons-and-holes connection  60  instead of the ball and socket connection  60 A of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B  depict a third embodiment of a shutter blind  10 B made in accordance with the present invention. This third embodiment  10 B is similar to the second embodiment  10 A. One difference is that there are now two tilt bars  80  and a bottom rail  21 A, which is very similar to the top rail  20 , instead of being a louver  14  with a rail insert  110  as in the first and second embodiments. In this embodiment, the bottom rail tilts, but it does not raise or lower. Instead, it is secured to the window frame with mounting brackets  40 A like those securing the head rail  20 . The two tilt bars  80  are secured not only to the head rail  20  via the tilt bar top attachment  60  and the top end cap  70 , but they are also secured to the bottom rail  21 A, via a multi-bar bottom attachment  140 , an adjustable bottom end cap  150 , and bottom plug  160 . This assembly is height adjustable to compensate in case the distance between the head rail  20  and the bottom rail  21 A does not exactly match the connection points on the tilt bars  80 . A bottom pivot bracket  100 , as in the previous embodiments, is no longer required. Also, the tilt bars  80  in this embodiment of the shutter blind are located directly in front of and conceal the tilt cables  16  and the lift cords  12 , and the cord glides  50  (of the previous embodiments) in the front (room side) of the head rail  20  are replaced by the tilt bar top attachments  60 , which serve the same function. It should be noted that this embodiment  10 B allows for the shutter blind  10 B to be raised and lowered from the bottom up (as is typically the case) or from the top down. To raise and lower from the top down, the lift cords  12  would be routed through the bottom rail  21 A. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B  depict a fourth embodiment of a shutter blind  10 C made in accordance with the present invention. This fourth embodiment  10 C is similar to the first embodiment  10 , except that it uses a different version of the bottom pivot bracket  100 A. 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B  depict a fifth embodiment of a shutter blind  10 D made in accordance with the present invention. This fifth embodiment  10 D is similar to the third embodiment  10 B, except that it has no hand control mechanism  90  for raising and lowering the shutter blind. This shutter blind  10 D has no lift cords  12 . Instead, a provisional lift attachment  170  is used on each tilt bar  80  to manually raise and lower the bottom louver  21 A via a finger tab, which automatically locks this bottom louver  21 A in place as soon as the finger tab is released, as will be explained later. Since there are no lift cords  12 , there is no need for the pulleys in the cord glides  50  or in the tilt bar top attachment  60 . Never-the-less, these same components  50 ,  60  may be used either with or without their respective pulleys. A stop block  130  limits the downward travel of the bottom louver  21 A. 
     FIG. 72A  depicts a sixth embodiment of a shutter blind  10 E made in accordance with the present invention. This sixth embodiment  10 E is similar to the first embodiment  10 , except that it uses a different version of the bottom pivot bracket  100 D. 
   The Head Rail 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B  show the head rail  20  of FIG.  1 A. This head rail  20  has an airfoil profile, with the cross-section defining two congruent convex arcs, which meet at their ends to define pointed edges  208 , an outer surface  202 , and an inner surface  204 . The inner surface  204  has four ribs  206  running axially the entire length of the head rail  20 . These ribs  206  are close to the sharp edges  208  of the airfoil profile, and the purpose of these ribs  206  is to provide a stop which may be used for retaining various components, such as cord glides  50 , tilt bar top attachments  60 , and end caps  30 , as will be explained later. The head rail  20  has a profile which is very similar to the profile of the rest of the louvers  14  of the shutter blind  10 . Thus, from a distance, it is almost impossible to tell that the head rail  20  is any different than the rest of the louvers  14 . 
   Alternate Embodiments of the Head Rail 
     FIG. 7A and 7B  show a head rail  20 A, which may be used instead of the head rail  20  of FIG.  1 A. This head rail  20 A is very similar to the head rail  20 , except that it is wider, meaning that the distance between the two sharp edges  208 A of this head rail  20 A is greater than the distance between the sharp edges  208  of the head rail  20 . The reason for this wider head rail  20 A is that, in most Venetian blinds, it is difficult to ensure full closure of all the slats in the blind when the blind is tilted closed. This problem worsens as one moves down the stack, such that the last few louvers  14  in the stack may show a definite gap, even as the stack is intended to be fully tilted closed. This wider head rail  20 A solves that problem. Since the tilt cables  16  are attached to and are supported from the sharp ends  208 A of the head rail  20 A, if the head rail  20 A is a bit wider than the balance of the slats (or louvers)  14 , then, as the head rail  20 A tilts to the fully closed position, the tilt cables  16  must travel a slightly longer distance than the tilt cables  16  would travel with a regular width head rail  20 . This extra amount of travel of the tilt cables  16  is enough to pull the tilt cables  16  up just enough to ensure full closure of the stack of louvers  14 . Thus, the wider head rail  20 A provides one solution to the problem of poor closure of the louver stack by slightly increasing the travel distance of the tilt cables  16  as they tilt closed. It should be noted that, while the points of connection of the tilt cables  16  to the head rail  20 A would be farther apart than the width of the louvers  14 , it is important to know how much farther apart than the width of the louvers  14  they should be. Too wide, and the size difference between the head rail  20 A and the louvers  14  becomes obvious and spoils the uniformity of appearance in the closed position. Not wide enough, and the effect is not significant enough to ensure complete closure of the blind. The preferred range is for the connection points of the tilt cables  16  to the head rail  20 A to be between 5% and 10% further apart than the width of the louvers  14 , so the head rail  20 A preferably is 5-10% wider than the louvers  14 . 
   As indicated earlier, the ribs  206  in the head rail  20  provide a stop for securing components of the shutter blind  10 .  FIG. 8  shows notches  210 , cut into the sharp edges  208  of the hear rail  20 . These notches  210  are used to locate and mount some of these components onto the head rail  20 , as shown in FIG.  1 B. These notches  210  preferably extend into the head rail  20  only as far as the ribs  206 . As the various components are mounted onto the head rail  20 , they may snap and lock in place by grabbing onto the ribs  206 . 
   In the single-piece head rail  20 , these notches  210  would likely have to be machined, as it would be very difficult to reach into the head rail  20  with a backer to help in punching out these notches  210 . In order to alleviate this problem, a three piece head rail  20 B is proposed, as shown in  FIGS. 9A ,  9 B, and  9 C. This three-piece head rail  20 B, which may be used instead of the single piece head rail  20 , includes two identical halves  212  having a substantially V-shaped cross-section (See  FIGS. 10A and 10B ) and an interconnecting channel  214  (See FIGS.  11 A and  11 B), which connects the V&#39;s together. 
   The interconnecting channel  214  has a cross-section that resembles two “W”&#39;s  216 , which are themselves connected together by a straight web  218 . When the halves  212  are jointed together, the resulting head rail  20 B looks very much like a standard head rail  20  which has been bisected lengthwise at the mid-point between the two sharp edges  208 . Thus, each of the head rail halves  212  resembles a “V” lying on its side. Each of the legs of the “V” terminates in a finger  220  designed to fit into the valley  222  in the middle of each of the “W”&#39;s of the interconnecting channel  214 . Each of the V&#39;s also has one leg that ends in a small valley  224 , while the other leg ends in a corresponding small peak  226  designed to mate with the valley  224  on the mating leg of the other half  212 . 
   To assemble the three-piece head rail  20 B of  FIGS. 9A-C , the two identical head rail halves  212  are placed longitudinally side-by-side so that the peak  226  of one head rail half  212  mates up with the valley  224  of the other head rail half  212 . The interconnecting channel  214  is then slid longitudinally between the two halves  212  so that the fingers  220  fit inside the valleys  222  of the interconnecting channel  214 , thus forming the head rail assembly  20 B. Alternatively, the two identical head rail halves  212  may be snapped directly onto the interconnecting channel  214  instead of sliding the channel  214  longitudinally between the two halves  212 . It is also important to note that the interconnecting channel  214  need not be a single piece extending the entire length of the head rail  20 . Instead, it may be a plurality of shorter interconnecting channels  214  spaced along the length of the head rail  20 . This plurality of shorter channels  214  has the advantage that it results in a lighter head rail  20 , and it opens up passageways within the head rail  20  for the routing of the lift cords from the cord glides  50  to the tilt bar top attachment  60 , as shown in FIG.  83 . It is a simple matter to insert a backer into each of the head rail halves  212  before the halves are assembled together in order to punch out the notches  210  required for mounting some of the components of the shutter blind. 
     FIGS. 12A and 12B  show a two-piece head rail  20 C, which may be used instead of the single piece head rail  20  or the three-piece head rail  20 B. In this design, the head rail  20 C includes two identical halves  230 , but, unlike the two halves  212  of the three-piece head rail  20 B, these two halves  230  split the standard head rail  20  lengthwise along the sharp edges  208  instead of along the mid point of these two sharp edges  208 . One end of the head rail halves  230  ends in an L-shaped notch  234 , and the opposite end ends in an L-shaped finger  232 , designed to mate with the notch  234 . To assemble this two-piece head rail  20 C, the two halves  230  are slid together lengthwise, with the finger  232  of one piece  230  sliding into the corresponding notch  234  of the other piece  230 . 
     FIGS. 13A and 13B  show another alternate embodiment of a two-piece head rail  20 D, which is very similar to the two-piece head rail  20 C described earlier. The two identical halves  230 A also split the standard head rail  20  lengthwise along the sharp edges  208 . In this design, the mating portions that hold the two halves  230 A together are further recessed from the edges  208 . A finger  232 A projects from its half  230 A by and arm  233 A. A notch  234 A is shaped to engage the finger  232 A, as in the case of the previous embodiment  20 C, so that the assembly of this embodiment  20 D is done in the same manner as for the head rail  20 C. 
   As will be discussed later in more detail, there are several components which may be mounted to the head rail  20 - 20 D. Some of these components, such as the cord glides  50 , may be added in pairs, or are symmetrical along the axis of rotation of the head rail  20 - 20 D (such as the louvers  14  and the bottom rail insert  110 ), so that these components add very little if any imbalance to the head rail. However, there are other components, such as the tilt bar  80 , the hand control  90 , the tilt bar top attachment  60 , the top end cap  70 , the bottom pivot linkage  100 , the stop block  130 , and the multi-bar attachment  140  which hang from one side (normally the room side) of the head rail and thus contribute to an imbalance of the head rail, which will tend to tilt down toward the side of the additional appended weight. To ameliorate this condition, weights  236  (See  FIGS. 15A and 15B ) may be added to the side (normally the wall side) opposite the weighted down side of the head rail. In this particular embodiment, the weights  236  are made so that one weight  236  approximately compensates for the weight of all the unbalanced hardware hanging from the head rail  20  (except for the tilt bar  80  itself), and each additional weight  236  compensates for every linear foot of tilt bar  80  length. Thus, a shutter blind system  10  may be custom made, and yet the weights may still be fine-tuned so that the head rail is approximately in equilibrium, requiring only a very small motive force in either direction to accomplish tilting of the entire shutter blind  10 , and requiring a very small frictional resistance to maintain the shutter blind  10  in the selected tilt position. 
   The standard head rail  20  preferably is modified slightly to accommodate the weights  236 . The modified head rail  20 E (See  FIGS. 14A and 14B ) has modified ribs  206 E to engage the notches  238  in the roughly triangular-shaped profile of the weights  236 , so that the weights  236  may slide into the head rail  20 E between one of the sharp edges  208  and the adjacent ribs  206 E. The ribs  206 E, received in the notches  238  of the weights  263 , hold the weights  236  in place so they do not shift as the head rail  20 E is tilted. 
   The End Caps 
   The ends of the head rail  20  are terminated with end caps  30 , which are used to mount the head rail to the mounting brackets  40 , as shown in FIG.  1 B.  FIGS. 16A and 16B  show the spring-loaded end cap  30 , which includes an end cap housing  302 , two springs  304 , and two pins  306 .  FIGS. 17A through 17E  show the end cap housing  302 . The housing  302  has an airfoil shaped profile  303 , which closely matches the profile of the head rail  20 . This airfoil profile  303  has an inside surface  308  and an outside surface  310 . The inside surface  308  has two hollow tube projections  312 ,  314 . The first hollow tube projection  312  is located in the center of the airfoil shaped profile  303 , and the second hollow tube projection  314  is also located along the central axis of the end cap  302  but very close to the end of the end cap  302 , close to one of the pointed ends  316 . These two hollow tubes  312 ,  314  define openings that extend from the inside surface  308 , through the airfoil shaped profile  303 , to the outside surface  310 . On the other end  316  of the airfoil profile  303  (the end  316  opposite the location of the hollow tube projection  314 ), there is a tab  318  projecting from the inside surface  308 . This tab  318  is designed to engage with the ribs  206  of the head rail  20  so as to lock the end cap  30  in place onto the head rail  20 . The two hollow tubes  312 ,  314  are open at their ends  312 A,  314 A, respectively, which are defined by the outside surface  310 , but the tubes  312 ,  314  are closed (except for small holes present only for manufacturing purposes) on the opposite end. The hollow tubes  312 ,  314  define longitudinal slotted openings  320  extending from the closed end of the tubes  312 ,  314 , to the inside surface  308  of the airfoil profile  303 , and these slotted openings  320  become notched out key ways  322  (See  FIG. 17E ) as they extend through the airfoil profile  303  and to the outside surface  310 . 
   The pins  306  (See  FIGS. 18A ,  18 B, and  18 C) are partially hollowed out cylinders  324  designed to fit inside the hollow tube projections  312 ,  314  of the end cap housing  302 . These cylinders  324  have an external longitudinal ridge or key  326  starting at an open end  328  of the cylinder and extending for most of the length of the cylinder  324 . At the end of the key  326  which is closer to the open end  328  of the cylinder  324  there is a projection  330 . The key  326  and the projection  330  fit through the notched key way  322  in the end cap housing  302  and, once the projection  330  is into the slotted opening  320  area of the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 , the projection  330  springs out through these slotted openings  320  to provide a guide and a stop for the travel of the pins  306  inside the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 . 
   The hollowed out interior surface  332  of the cylinders  324  has an internal shoulder  334 . This shoulder becomes a stop for the spring  304 , as will be explained shortly. The end  336  opposite the open end  328  of the pin  306  terminates in a stub shaft  338 , which engages with the mounting bracket  40 , as will be explained later. 
   The springs  304  are designed to fit inside the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 , as well as inside the pins  306  up to the point where the inside diameter of the pin  306  necks down at the previously described shoulder  334 . Thus, to assemble the end cap  30 , the springs  304  are inserted in the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 , and the pins  306  are inserted into the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 , making sure that the projection  330  and the key  326  coincide with the notched out key ways  322  of the hollow tubes  312 ,  314 . As soon as each projection  330  clears the airfoil profile  303 , it snaps into the slotted opening  320  in its respective hollow tube  312  or  314 . The end cap assembly  30  is now ready to be mounted onto the head rail  20 , making sure that the hollow tube  314  is oriented toward the rear of the head rail  20  (the wall side) and that the tab  318  is oriented toward the front of the head rail  20  (the room side). 
   Alternate Embodiments of the End Caps 
     FIGS. 20A through 20F  depict a fixed-end embodiment of an end cap  30 A, which may be used instead of the spring-loaded end cap  30  of FIG.  1 B. This fixed-end end cap  30 A is similar in many ways to the spring-loaded end cap  30  described earlier. It includes an airfoil shaped profile  303 A and the same tab  318 A as the tab  318  found in the spring-loaded end cap  30 . The hollow pins  306  with stub shafts  338 A,  338 B are replaced by an integral nub  340  located in the same central location where the stub shaft  338 A (corresponding to the hollow tube  312 ) would have been located, and a nub  342  located closer to the edge of the cap, in the same location where the stub shaft  338 B (corresponding to the hollow tube  314 ) would have been located. The nub  340  has a small flange  344  (See  FIG. 20F ) to help it engage the mounting bracket  40 , as will be explained later. Also shown in this embodiment  30 A is a generally T-shaped extension  346  with a shape which closely resembles that of the tilt bar top attachment  60 , since they both serve the same purpose. This general shape and function will be explained later in the description of the tilt bar top attachment  60 . 
   Some of the advantages of the single-piece fixed-end end cap  30 A include the fact that it is a single piece (less expensive to manufacture), and it may be a stronger component over the spring-loaded end cap  30 , since the nubs  340 ,  342  are integral to the end cap  30 A. The stronger end cap permits the use of heavier blinds suspended off of the head rail  20 . One disadvantage is that this end cap  30 A has very little leeway in the axial direction. The mounting brackets  40  must be mounted very precisely for these single piece end caps  30 A to fit correctly. One way to alleviate this constraint is to mount a single-piece end cap  30 A at one end of the head rail  20  (especially advantageous to do so at the end where the tilt bar  80  is located which is where vertical forces are exerted on the head rail  20  by the lift cords  12  connected to the hand control  90 , as will be described later), and a spring-loaded end cap  30  at the other end of the head rail  20  to allow for some leeway in the mounting of the brackets  40  onto the window frame. 
     FIG. 21  depicts a floating-pin embodiment of an end cap  30 B, which may be used instead of the spring-loaded end cap  30  of FIG.  1 B. This floating-pin end cap  30 B is quite similar to the spring-loaded end cap  30  described earlier. Functionally, the difference is that this floating-pin embodiment  30 B has a fixed pin  348  very much like the nub  342  on the fixed-end end cap  30 A, and a floating pin  350  for the second pin which corresponds to the pin which goes through the axis of rotation of the centroid of the head rail  20  once the end cap  30 B is installed onto the head rail  20 . This floating pin  350  is not spring loaded. Instead, its first end  352  has a barbed configuration which is able to squeeze through an opening in the housing  302 B and then snaps out to slidably lock the floating pin  350  within the cavity  354 . A second end  356  of the floating pin  350  includes two spaced apart shoulders  358 ,  360  to help it engage the mounting bracket  40 , as will be explained later. Thus, this floating-pin end cap  30 B is a compromise between the fixed-end end cap  30 A and the spring-loaded end cap  30 . The floating pin  350  engages the mounting bracket  40  instead of simply pushing against it with springs. However, it has some slack, as the floating pin  350  is able to axially slide in and out of the housing  302 B to account for some imprecision in the installation of the mounting brackets  40 . 
   The Cord Glide 
   The cord glides  50  (shown in  FIGS. 23A-25B ) serve several functions. First, they guide and support the lift cords  12  within the head rail  20 , as shown in FIG.  83 . Second, they guide and support the tilt cables  16 . By guiding the tilt cables  16 , the cord glides  50  also can provide an alternative mechanism for solving the problem of incomplete closure of the blind, in that they can be made to provide a longer path for the tilt cables  16  to follow when lifting the tilt cables to close the blind, thereby serving the same function as the wider head rail that was described earlier. This benefit will be explained later. 
   Each cord guide  50  includes a cord glide housing  502 , a cord glide cover  504 , and a pulley  506 . The housing  502  and cover  504  snap together, locking the pulley  506  between them. The cords  12 ,  16  are routed through the cord glides  50  (as seen in  FIG. 24A , as well as in  FIGS. 24D and 24E , where the tilt cable  16  is hidden behind the lift cord  12 ), and the cord glides  50  are mounted in the notched out openings  210  in the head rail  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B .  FIGS. 30 and 31  show the manner in which the tilt bar top attachment  60  mounts into the head rail  20 , with the rear portion of the attachment recessed into the head rail  20  and the front portion of the attachment following the contour of the edge portion of the head rail  20 . The cord glides  50  mount into the head rail  20  in substantially the same manner (as can be seen in FIGS.  24 D and  24 E), at intervals along the head rail  20  as shown in FIG.  83 . 
   Referring particularly to  FIG. 24C , the cord glide  50  is a slightly elongate piece with vertically aligned upper and lower shoulders  508 ,  510 . When the rear portion  512  of the cord glide  50  is inserted into the notched out opening  210  in the head rail  20 , the shoulders  508 ,  510  abut the outer surface of the head rail  20 , so that the cord glide  50  cannot continue to slide in and ultimately fall into the head rail  20 . The two shoulders  508 ,  510  define an imaginary vertical plane which divides the cord glide  50  into the rectangular rear end  512 , which is mounted entirely within the head rail  20 , and the roughly triangular front end  514 , which projects through the opening  210  in the head rail  20  to the outside of the head rail  20 . 
   The front end  514  has a wedge shaped upper section  516  with a “chin” or bump  518  protruding from its lower section. These bumps  518  provide the longer distance of travel for the tilt cables  16  in order to enhance the closure of the louvers  14 , as was mentioned earlier, and as depicted in  FIGS. 24D and 24E .  FIG. 24E  also shows that, when the head rail  20  is tilted closed, the lift cord  12  must make a tight turn (In this embodiment, a 135 degree turn when the head rail  20  is closed at a 45 degree angle). The bumps  518  on the cord glide  50  substantially reduce the frictional loss by increasing the size of the turning radius. 
   The cord glide housing  502  defines a vertically oriented notch  520  (See  FIG. 24B ) and a connecting channel  522  (See FIG.  24 A), which form a path for the lift cord  12  to pass from outside of the head rail  20  to the pulley  506 . The housing also defines horizontally-oriented notches  524  between the wedge shaped upper section  516  and the “chin” on the lower section  518 , which extend rearwardly, providing a path to lateral cavities  526 , which are also defined by the housing  502 . To install a tilt cable  16  on the cord glide  50 , the end of the tilt cable  16  is enlarged by forming it into a knot or by attaching an enlarged end such as a grommet  525 , as is well known in the art (See FIG.  24 A). The enlarged end is then inserted into one of the cavities  526 , and the cord slides through the respective connecting notch  524  to the front of the cord glide  50 . The housing  502  also defines a horizontal recess  527 , which receives a projection  529  from the housing cover  504 , when the housing  502  and cover  504  are snapped together. 
   The rear end  512  of the cord glide housing  502  defines an open-sided cavity  528  (See FIG.  23 B), which houses the slidably supported pulley  506 , and the bottom of this cavity  528  defines a slotted depression  530  which receives one of the stub shafts  544  of the pulley  506 . At the rear end  512  of the cord glide housing  502 , two vertically oriented barbs  532  project upwardly to engage two shoulders  534  on the housing cover  504  so as to secure the housing cover  504  to the housing  502 . 
   The housing cover  504  (See  FIGS. 25A and 25B ) is a relatively flat, elongate piece with a wedge-shaped outer surface  536  on its forward end, which generally matches the wedge-shaped upper section  516  of the housing  502 . A shoulder  538  with a sloping ramp  540  provides a stop to prevent the cord glide  50  from pulling out from the head rail  20  once it has been installed, as will be described shortly. The inner surface of the housing cover  504  defines a slotted depression  542 , which lies directly opposite the slot  530  in the base  502 , and which receives the other stub shaft  544  of the pulley  506 . Forward of the depression  542  are two spaced-apart projections  529 , which are received in the slot  527  of the housing  502 . The space between the projections  529  is aligned with the channel  522  and forms part of the path for the lift cord  12 . The shoulders  534 , as already mentioned earlier, are in the rear end of the housing cover  504  and engage the barbs  532  of the housing  502  to lock the housing  502  and cover  504  together. 
   The pulley  506  has two stub shafts  544 , which are received in the slotted depressions  530  and  542  of the housing  502  and cover  504 , respectively. Since the cavity  528  which houses the pulley  506  is an open sided cavity  528 , the side of the pulley  506  is able to extend beyond the side of the cord glide housing assembly  50  (as shown in  FIG. 24A ) in order to provide a straight run for the lift cord  12  to come in through the vertical notch  520  and through the longitudinal channel  522  of the housing  502 , and tangentially wrap around the pulley  506  for approximately one-quarter turn before the lift cord  12  exits the cord glide  50  via the open side of the housing cavity  528 . Furthermore, the pulley  506  can slide to either side of the cord glide  50 , so that the same cord glide  50  may be used to route the lift cords  12  to the left side or to the right side. Also, the pulley  506  may slide along its respective upper and lower slots  542 ,  530  to a position in which it is fully inside the cord glide housing  50 . This is important for installation of the cord glide  50  into the head rail  20 , because it means that the slotted opening  210  in the head rail  20  need not be any wider than the width of the rear portion of the cord glide  50 . The cord glide  50  is inserted into an opening  210  in the head rail  20 , and then the pulley  506  is able to pop out through the open-sided cavity  528  once the cord glide  50  is installed in the head rail  20 . 
   To assemble the cord glide  50 , one of the stub shafts  544  of the pulley  506  is inserted into the slot  530  in the housing  502 . Then, the lift cord  12  (See  FIG. 24A ) is routed through the vertically oriented notch  520  and along the channel  522 , around the pulley  506  for approximately one quarter turn, and then exits the cord glide  50  through the open-sided cavity  528  of the cord glide housing  502 . The housing cover  504  is then snapped over the housing  502  and pulley  506 , so that the other stub shaft  544  of the pulley  506  rides in the slotted depression  542  of the housing cover  504 , the projections  529  from the cover are received in the slot  527  of the housing  502 , straddling the lift cord  12 , and the barbs  532  of the housing  502  engage the shoulders  534  on the cover  504  to lock the housing  502  and the housing cover  504  together with the pulley  506  slidably engaged in the cavity  528  of the cord glide  50 . The tilt cable  16  may be installed onto the cord glide  50  at any time before the cord glide  50  is installed onto the head rail  20 , by inserting the enlarged end or grommet  525  of the tilt cable  16  into one of the cavities  526  and pulling the cord around through the slot  524  to the front of the cord glide  50 . The entire assembly  50  is then inserted into a notched opening  210  of the head rail  20  so that the rear end  512  of the cord glide  50  is entirely inside the head rail  20 . The rib  206  of the head rail  20  rides up over the ramp  540  of the housing cover  504  and then snaps into place in the valley formed between the shoulder  538  on the housing cover  504  and the shoulder  508  on the housing  502 , locking the cord glide  50  in place on the head rail  20 . The lift cords  12  may then be routed to the tilt bar top attachment  60 , as shown in FIG.  83 . 
   Operation of the Cord Glide 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , as the head rail  20  is tilted by pushing the tilt bar  80  up or down, the edge of head rail  20  that is tilted up has both the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  extending out and around the “chin”  518  on the cord glide  50  (See FIG.  24 E), while the other edge of the head rail  20  that is tilted down has both the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  extending straight down out of the vertical notch  520 . Thus, the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  that are connected to the tilted-up edge of the head rail  20  have to travel a slightly longer upward distance to pass over the “chin”  518  than the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  on the opposite edge of the head rail  20  must travel downwardly. The difference in the distances of travel is just enough to achieve complete closure of the stack of louvers  14  in the shutter blind system  10 . 
   Alternate Embodiment of the Cord Glide 
     FIGS. 95A through 97A  depict a two-piece cord glide  50 A, which may be used instead of the three piece cord glide  50  shown in FIG.  1 A. The two-piece cord glide  50 A is quite similar to the three-piece cord glide  50  described earlier. The main difference is that the two-piece cord glide  50 A unites the housing and the housing cover into a single piece housing  502 A. Thus, rather than the pulley  506 A being trapped between the housing and the housing cover, it now snaps into the housing  502 A as will be described shortly. However, the installation of the cord glide  50 A onto the head rail  20  and the use of the cord glide  50 A, including the routing of the lift cord  12  and the tie-off of the tilt cable  16  remains the same as it was for the three-piece cord glide  50 . 
   The two-piece cord glide  50 A includes a housing  502 A with upper and lower shoulders  508 A,  510 A to limit the travel of the cord glide  50 A into the head rail  20 . The front end  514 A of the cord glide  50 A has a wedge-shaped upper section  516 A and a chin  518 A on the lower section. A horizontal notch  524 A connects the front end  514 A to an open-sided, lateral cavity  526 A so that the tilt cable  16  may be tied-off with an enlargement, such as a grommet, in the same manner as described for the three-piece cord glide  50 . However, the horizontal notch  524 A extends past an internal, longitudinal wall  527 A to provide a pathway from the front end  514 A of the cord glide  50 A to the open-sided cavity  528 A which houses the pulley  506 A. A shoulder  538 A and a ramp  540 A serve to lock the cord glide  50 A onto the ribs  206  of the head rail  20  as was described for the three-piece cord glide  50 . Two relatively thin (and thus relatively flexible) arms  546 A project rearwardly from the cord glide  50 A, and these arms  546 A are separated from each other by a distance which is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the pulley  506 A, such that the pulley  506 A may be snapped into the cavity  528 A by pressing it between these two arms  546 A, and once in the cavity  528 A, the arms  546 A snap back and retain the pulley  506 A in the cavity  528 A. Referring briefly to  FIG. 97A , recessed flanges  548 A extend between the two arms  546 A both at the top and at the bottom of the cord glide  50 A, and these flanges  548 A provide a ceiling and a floor support for the stub shafts  544  of the pulley  506 A. Surrounding the front, left, and right sides of each of the flanges  548 A is a U-shaped wall  549 A, which serves as a stop that prevents the stub shafts  544  from moving too far forward, left, or right. The pulley itself  506 A bumping into the legs  546 A prevents the pulley from sliding out the back of the cord glide  50 A. 
   The Multi-Bar Bottom Attachment 
     FIGS. 26A through 26D  show the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  of FIG.  3 B. The design of  FIG. 3B  has a bottom rail  21 A which does not lift up and down with the louvers  14  of the blind  10 B. The multi-bar bottom attachment  140  is used to connect the bottom of the tilt bar  80  to this bottom rail  21 A. The bottom rail  21 A is identical to the head rail  20 , except that the bottom rail  21 A usually does not need the notches along its rear edge (the edge closer to the wall), since neither lift cords  12  nor tilt cables  16  are attached to this bottom rail  21 A. (However, if this blind is to open from the top down by means of lift cords, the lift cords would be routed through this bottom rail  21 A instead of through the head rail  20 .) 
   Unlike the rest of the louvers  14 , including the bottom louver  21 , the bottom rail  21 A cannot be raised or lowered with the rest of the shutter blind system  10 . Instead, this bottom rail  21 A is mounted to the window&#39;s frame via brackets  40 A, in the same manner that the head rail  20  is mounted to the window&#39;s frame via brackets  40 A. In order to ensure that the bottom rail  21 A tilts in unison with the head rail  20  and the rest of the louvers  14 , the head rail  20  and the bottom rail  21 A are connected by one or more tilt bars  80 . These tilt bars  80  are connected to the bottom rail  21 A by an adjustable bottom end cap  150  (described later), which is connected to the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  described below. Note that a single tilt bar  80  could be used to synchronize the tilting motion of the bottom rail  21 A to that of the head rail  20 , but it may be preferable to use as many tilt bars  80  as there are ladder tapes so that the tilt bars  80  may be placed in front of the tilt cords  16  of the ladder tapes and thus disguise their presence (See FIG.  3 A), making an even stronger illusion of a shutter instead of a blind. When a single tilt bar  80  is used to connect the head rail  20  to the bottom rail  21 A, an adjustable bottom end cap  150  may not be necessary, and an additional top end cap  70  and tilt bar top attachment  60  may be used at the bottom of the tilt bar  80  for connecting the tilt bar  80  to the bottom rail  21 A. 
   The multi-bar bottom attachment  140  of  FIGS. 26A through 26D  is similar to the cord glide  50  described earlier, in that it attaches to the bottom rail  21 A in a manner that is similar to the manner in which the cord glide  50  attaches to the head rail  20 . The multi-bar bottom attachment  140  is an elongated piece, roughly divided in two halves by an imaginary plane defined by two upper stops  1402  and two lower stops  1404 , which abut the outer surface of the bottom rail  21 A, thereby preventing the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  from falling into the head rail. The front half  1406  has two triangular-shaped arms  1408 , which are shaped to generally match the wedge-shaped profile of the bottom rail  21 A. Facing inwardly from between these two arms  1408  are two opposed cylindrical buttons  1410 , one on each arm  1408 , which cooperate with two holes in the multi-bar bottom end cap  150  to pivotably lock the end cap  150  and bottom attachment  140  together. The arms  1408  are flexible enough to spread apart in order to permit the insertion of the appendage  1508  of the multi-bar bottom end cap  150  and then to snap back together, inserting the buttons  1410  into the holes  1512  of the appendage  1508  as will be described in more detail later. 
   The rear half  1412  of the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  is roughly rectangular, with its outer surface having shoulders  1414  which slope back down to the outer surface via the ramps  1416 . The rear half  1412  of the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  is inserted into the notch  210  of the bottom rail  21 A, until the rib  206  of the bottom rail  21 A rides up the ramps  1416  and then snaps into locked position in the space formed between the shoulders  1402  and  1414  in the upper portion of the multi-bar bottom attachment  140 , and between the shoulders  1404  and  1414  in the lower portion of the multi-bar bottom attachment  140 . 
   The Tilt Bar Top Attachment 
   The tilt bar top attachment  60 , depicted in  FIGS. 27A through 31 , is made up of three pieces—a housing  622 , a cover  612 , and a pulley  614 . The housing  622  has two forwardly-extending, substantially triangular cross-section arms  608 . The arms  608  define shoulders  606 , which serve as stops, to prevent the tilt bar top attachment  60  from going too far into the head rail  20 .  FIG. 30  shows the top attachment  60  mounted in an opening  210  in the head rail  20 , with the shoulders  606  abutting the head rail  20  and the arms  608  following the contour of the head rail edge. The arms  608  have inwardly facing buttons  610 , which are used to pivotably connect the attachment  60  to the top end cap  70 , as shown in  FIGS. 1A ,  30 , and  31  and as will be described in more detail later. 
   The pulley  614  has stub shafts  616 , which are received in slotted depressions  618 ,  620  in the housing  622  and in the housing cover  612 , respectively, allowing the pulley  614  to slide left to right within the open-sided cavity  624  that is defined by the housing  622  and cover  612 . Two upwardly projecting barbs  626  on the rear of the housing  622  engage shoulders  628  on the housing cover  612  to secure the cover  612  to the housing  622 . A first downward projection  629  from the cover  612  lies just forward of the front wall of the cavity  624 , and two additional downward projections  631  from the cover  612 A together with the front wall of the cavity  624  define a passageway  630  (See FIG.  27 B), between the open-sided cavity  624  and the space between the two arms  608 , to permit the passage of the lift cords  12  from the inside of the head rail  20  to the outside of the head rail  20  and to the tilt bar  80 , as will be described in more detail later. The stops  632  and ramps  634  on the outer surface of the attachment  60  permit the connector to snap into the head rail as shown in  FIG. 30 , with the ribs  206  received in the space between the shoulders  632  and the shoulders  606  of the attachment  60 . 
   To assemble the tilt bar top attachment  60  and install it onto the head rail  20 , the stub shaft  616  of the pulley  614  is mounted in the slot  618  of the housing  622 , and the lift cords  12  enter through the side of the cavity  624  and are wound around the pulley  614  and then out through the passageway  630 , so the lift cords  12  exit the attachment  60  in the area between the two arms  608  (See FIG.  83 ). The housing cover  612  is then snapped onto the housing  622 , with the other stub shaft of the pulley  614  received in the slot  620 , and with the barbs  626  received by the portions  628 . The tilt bar top attachment assembly  60  is then inserted into the notch  210  of the head rail  20  and is snapped into position between adjacent upper and lower ribs  206  as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , and as shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 30 and 31 . Once the assembly  60  is installed on the head rail  20 , the pulley  614  will shift to one side or the other, depending upon the direction in which the lift cords  12  have been routed.  FIGS. 27A  shows the pulley  614  projecting out the left side of the attachment  60 , which means that the lift cords  12  have been routed around the right side of the pulley  614 . 
   Alternate Embodiments of the Tilt Bar Top Attachment 
   It should be noted that, under the description of the different embodiments of the end cap  30 , one particular embodiment,  30 A, shown in  FIGS. 20A-F , was described as having “a generally “T” shaped extension  346  with a shape which closely resembles that of the tilt bar top attachment  60 , since they both serve the same purpose”. That end cap  30 A essentially has the tilt bar top attachment built into it in the extension  346 . The extension  346  is inserted into the end of the head rail  20 , and the arms  608  project out through an opening  210  in the head rail. The pulley  614  supports the lift cords  12 , and guides them out through the space between the arms  608 . 
   The Tilt Bar 
   The tilt bar  80 , also called the operator bar, of  FIGS. 1 through 5  is shown in greater detail in FIGS.  45  and  46 A-C. In this embodiment, the tilt bar is an aluminum extrusion with a cross-sectional profile which may be described as a “D” section  802  attached back-to-back to an “L” section  804 . The “L” section  804  has a first leg  806 , which is a common wall with the “D” section  802 , and a second leg  808 . The leg  808  and the leg  806  meet to form a corner  812 , which in this embodiment is a substantially 90 degree angle. A wall extension  818  meets with the other end of the first leg  806  to form another corner  810 , which is also a substantially 90 degree angle. Another wall extension  820  extends from the other end of the second leg  808  to form another corner  814 , which is also a substantially 90 degree angle. The cavity  822  formed by the “D” section  802  of the tilt bar  80  is fully enclosed except at the ends of the tilt bar  80 . The cavity  824  formed by the first leg  806 , the second leg  808  and the two wall extensions  818 ,  820  is only partially enclosed. A notch  816  is located on the wall extension  820  a short distance away from the top end of the tilt bar  80 , when required, in order to secure an attachment, such as the top end cap  70 . 
   The Top End Cap 
   The tilt bar top attachment  60  attaches to the top end cap  70  as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , and shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 30-33 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 32A ,  32 B, and  33 , the top end cap  70  includes a forward extension  714 , which connects to the tilt bar top attachment  60 , as will be described later. It also includes an end cap housing  702 , which has a substantially rectangular shape and defines three interconnected cavities  708 ,  710 , and  712 . A roller  704  and a ferrule  706  are supported for rotation within the housing  702 . The first cavity  708  within the end cap housing  702  is open at the bottom of the housing  702 , and its shape matches the profile of the tilt bar  80 , permitting it to receive the upper portion of the tilt bar  80 . One wall  716  of this cavity  708  has a tongue  718  with an inside shoulder  720 . The top end of the tilt bar  80  slides into this first cavity  708  through the open bottom of the cavity  708 . The tongue  718  flexes out until the shoulder  720  clears the notch  816  on the tilt bar  80 , and then it snaps back to releasably lock the tilt bar  80  to the top end cap  70 , as shown in FIG.  33 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 33 , the second cavity  710  is open at the top of the housing  702 , and it is shaped like a hollow tube. Its inside diameter closely matches the outside diameter of the ferrule  706 , and the ferrule  706  is received in that cavity  710 . The purpose of the ferrule  706  is to terminate the ends of the lift cords  12 . The bottom of the second cavity  710  has a smaller opening  722 , which opens into the first cavity  708 . 
   The third cavity  712  also opens to the top of the housing  702 . This cavity  712  receives the roller  704 . The side walls of the cavity  712  define internal vertical slots  724 , which are slightly wider than the stub shafts  726  of the roller  704 . Each of these slots  724  terminates at an arcuately-shaped bottom. The slots  724  slidably receive and support the stub shafts  746 , such that the roller  704  is free to rotate along its axis within the cavity  712 , and its axis of rotation is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head rail  20 . The bottom of this third cavity  712  opens into the first cavity  708 . The vertical slots  724  extend down far enough along the side walls of the cavity  712  so that, when the roller  704  is installed in the cavity  712  of the housing  702 , a tangent drawn from the top of the roller  704  and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller  704  will be in line with the bottom of a groove  726  which runs along the entire length of the horizontal extension  714  of the housing  702 . 
   The lift cords  12  are routed from the exit of the tilt bar top attachment  60 , along this groove  726 , over and around the roller  704 , and down into the first cavity  708  where they exit through the bottom of the top end cap  70  and extend downwardly along part of the tilt bar  80 , as will be described in more detail later (and as may be appreciated from  FIG. 38A  which shows alternate but very similar embodiments of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A and of the top end cap  70 A). The lift cords  12  go down to a pulley  908  on the hand control  90  (as will be described in more detail later) and back up the tilt bar  80 , through the first cavity  708 , through the opening  722  connecting the first cavity  708  to the second cavity  710 , up through an opening  728  in the ferrule  706 , down around the outside of the ferrule  706  and back up through the opening  728  in the ferrule  706 . As the ferrule is inserted into its cavity  710 , the exterior surface of the ferrule  706  pinches the lift cords  12  against the interior surface of the opening  710 , effectively securing the lift cord ends to the top end cap  70 . 
   The forward extension  714  includes a groove  726  running the length of the extension  714 . Toward the free end  730  of the extension  714 , there are two, outwardly facing, opposed holes  732  which pivotably engage with the two buttons  610  in the arms  608  of the tilt bar top attachment  60 , as shown in FIGS.  31 . To connect the top end cap  70  and the top attachment  60  together, the forward extension  714  of the top end cap  70  is inserted between the arms  608  of the attachment, spreading the arms  608  apart until the projections  610  on the inside of the arms  608  snap fit into the holes  732  of the forward extension  714 . 
   The housing  702  also has two more holes  734 ,  736  (See  FIG. 33 ) in its forward portion. These holes are used to secure the tilt cords  16 , in the event that a cord glide  50  is not used. The first hole  734  is located near the point where the housing  702  transitions to the forward extension  714 , and it provides an opening from the third cavity  712  to the outside of the housing  702 . The second hole  736  is located approximately midway along the bottom surface of the extension  714 . This hole  736  provides a passage from the groove  726 , to the outside of the housing  702 . These two holes  734 ,  736  are used to route and tie off the tilt cables  16  in the embodiment of  FIGS. 3A and 3B , when the tilt bars  80  are used to hide the tilt cables  16  and the lift cords  12 . In this instance, the tilt bar top attachment  60  takes the place of the cord glide  50  along the front (room side) of the shutter blind  10 B. Thus, there must be a provision for securing the tilt cables  16  to the head rail  20 . The tilt cable  16  is threaded up through the first hole  734 , into the third cavity  712 , along the groove  726  and down through the second hole  736 . An enlargement, such as a knot, is secured to the end of the tilt cable  16  such that the end of the tilt cable  16  will not slide back through the hole  736 , and thus the tilt cable is secured to the top end cap  70 , which in turn, is secured to the head rail  20  via the tilt bar top attachment  60 . 
   Alternate Embodiments of the Tilt Bar Top Attachment and Top End Cap 
     FIGS. 34A ,  34 B,  35 A,  35 B,  37 ,  38 , and  38 A show an alternate embodiment of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A and the top end cap  702 A. These alternate embodiments  60 A,  702 A are identical to the already-described embodiments  60 ,  70  except for the means for connecting the tilt bar top attachment  60 A to the top end cap  702 A, which, in this case, is a ball and socket mechanism. 
   Instead of the two arms  608  and the inwardly facing buttons  610  of the tilt bar top attachment  60 , the housing  622 A of this second embodiment of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A (See  FIGS. 36A and 36B ) has two arms  608 A with interior walls forming a hollow, spherical cavity  610 A, which serves as the socket component of the ball and socket mechanism. Instead of the extension  714  with the holes  732  to engage the buttons  610  of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A, the housing  702 A of the second embodiment of the top end cap  70 A has a spherically shaped extension  714 A (See FIGS.  35 A and  35 B), which serves as the ball component of the ball and socket mechanism. As was the case for the pieces of the first embodiments  60 ,  70  the arms  608 A of the second embodiment  60 A flex apart enough to allow the ball  714 A of the second embodiment  70 A to snap into the socket. 
     FIGS. 37 and 38  show two possible relative positions of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A and the top end cap  70 A. Where the buttons-and-holes connection of the first embodiments  60 ,  70  allowed pivoting of the top end cap  70 , relative to the tilt bar top attachment  60 , only along a single axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head rail  20 , the ball and socket connection of the second embodiment  60 A,  70 A allows for pivoting along a plurality of axes. Thus, for example, the tilt bar  80  of  FIG. 1A  may be pivoted sideways, so that the length of the tilt bar  80  is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head rail  20  for shipping purposes, and then it can be straightened out so that the length of the tilt bar  80  is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head rail  20  during normal operation. 
     FIG. 38A  shows the tilt bar top attachment  60 A and the top end cap  70 A as they are mounted to the head rail  20  and to the tilt bar  80 , respectively. This figure further shows the routing of the lift cord  12  from the head rail  20 , through the tilt bar top attachment  60 A, through the top end cap  70 A, down along the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , around the pulley  908  of the hand control  90 , and back up along the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 . The end of the lift cord  12  is tied off at the top end cap  70 A via the ferrule  706 . 
     FIGS. 38B and 38D  show another embodiment of a ball and socket style top end cap  70 B, which is very similar to the previous embodiment  70 A described earlier. This embodiment  70 B differs from the previous embodiment  70 A in that it does not have a skirt to form a first cavity  708 . Instead, this embodiment  70 B has two legs  738 B, which slide into the cavity  824  in the “L” section  804  of the tilt bar  80 . Also, the ferrule  706  of the first and second embodiments  70 ,  70 A is replaced by a ferrule  706 B with a cover  740 B (See  FIG. 38D ) extending forward to cover the top entrance to the third cavity  712 B which houses the roller  704 . This cover  740 B traps the roller  704  in its cavity  712 B and keeps dust and other foreign matter from entering the cavity  712 B. 
     FIGS. 38E-38H  depict a fixed-end embodiment of an end cap  30 C, with an integral top bar attachment  60 B, which is intended for usage in the shutter blind  10 F shown in  FIGS. 5E and 5F . This fixed-end end cap  30 C is similar in many ways to the spring-loaded end cap  30  and the fixed-end end cap  30 A described earlier. It includes an airfoil shaped profile  303 C as well as the hollow pins  306  with stub shafts  338 A,  338  (not shown in these views). As in the case of the end cap  30 A with its generally T-shaped extension  346 , this embodiment of the end cap  30 C also has the tilt bar top attachment  60 B built into it, but incorporated immediately adjacent to the airfoil shaped profile  303 C, so that the tilt bar  80  may extend from the very end of the head rail  20  (as seen in FIG.  5 E), instead of extending from a short distance away (as seen in FIG.  1 A). 
   The tilt bar top attachment  60 B includes a housing  622 B, which mates up with a housing cover  612 B (which is integral to the end cap  30 C) and a pulley  614 B which is housed inside the cavity  624 B of the housing  622 B (shown in FIG.  38 G). The overall shape of the tilt bar top attachment  60 B is very similar to that of the tilt bar top attachment  60 A once the housing  622 B is mated up to the housing cover  612 B, including such features as the arms  608 B, the socket  611  B, and the upper and lower slotted depressions  620 B,  618 B, respectively, for the guidance and support of the pulley stub shafts  616 B. 
   Naturally, in order to use this embodiment of the end cap  30 C and tilt bar top attachment  60 B, the head rail  20  must have one of it slotted openings  210  located right at one of its ends (as seen in  FIG. 5E ) instead of a short distance from one of its ends (as seen in FIG.  1 A). As may be appreciated from a comparison of  FIGS. 38A and 38H , the overall layout and performance of the ball and socket embodiments  60 A,  70 A located a short distance from the end of the head rail  20 , and the ball and socket embodiments  60 B,  70 B of similar embodiments but located right at the end of the head rail  20 , are indeed very similar. The main difference is the lateral shift of the tilt bar  80  so that it is right along the edge of the head rail  20  in the latter set of described embodiments  60 B,  70 B (together with the end cap  30 C). 
   Adjustable Bottom End Cap 
     FIGS. 39A-40B  show the bottom end cap  150  used in the system  10 B of  FIGS. 3A and 3B . The adjustable bottom end cap  150  is very similar to the top end cap  70  except that it does not have second and third cavities  710 ,  712 , since there are no lift cords to route through and to tie off to this bottom end cap  150 . Also, the flexible tongue  718  and the shoulder  720  are absent, since this end cap  150  permits adjustment of the relative positions of the tilt bar  80  and the end cap  150 . A bottom plug  160  (see  FIGS. 41A-E ) is designed to mount onto the bottom end of the tilt bar  80  and also to slide into the bottom end cap  150  in order to adjustably secure the tilt bar  50  and bottom end cap  150  together, as shown in  FIGS. 39A ,  39 B, and  39 C. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 40A and 40B , the bottom end cap  150  has one major cavity  1502 , which is open at the top to receive the tilt bar  80 , and open in the front to receive the plug  160 . Two shoulders  1504 , extending down along the left and right walls that define the open front, serve to retain the tilt bar  80  in the cavity  1502 , preventing the tilt bar  80  from sliding horizontally out of the bottom end cap  150 . Internal serrations  1506  internally circumscribe the three walls of the cavity  1502  and engage the plug  160  to keep the tilt bar  80  from sliding vertically out of the bottom end cap  150 , as will be described later. A forward projection  1508  extends forward from the lower portion of the bottom end cap  150 , and toward the free end  1510  of this projection  1508 , are two, outwardly facing, opposed recesses  1512  designed to pivotably engage with the two buttons  1410  in the arms  1408  of the tilt bar bottom attachment  140  of  FIGS. 26A-D  in the same manner that the top end cap  70  engages with the tilt bar top attachment  60 . 
   The plug  160  (See  FIGS. 41A through 41E ) includes a substantially flat bottom portion  1602  with a contour which substantially matches the cross-sectional profile of the tilt bar  80 . The edges  1604  of this flat portion flare out so they can slide into the cavity  1504  along the a desired horizontal serration  1506  on the bottom end cap  150  but, once installed along one of these serrations  1506 , the plug  160  is locked against vertical movement relative to the bottom end cap  150 . An upwardly-directed, semi-circular projection  1606  projects upwardly from the base  1602  and just fits inside the wall  822  of the D-shaped portion  802  of the tilt bar  80  (see  FIGS. 45-46C , showing the tilt bar  80 ). Two pins  1608  project upwardly from the opposite end of the flat portion  1602 , and one of those pins  1608  abuts the tilt bar  80  at the bottom of the free end  820  of the leg  808  of the “L” shaped portion  804  of the tilt bar  80 . An L-shaped wall  1612  projects upwardly from the base  1602 . A countersunk hole  1610  extends through the flat portion  1602  and emerges just inside the L-shaped wall projection  1612 . Once the plug  160  is mounted onto the tilt bar  80 , a self-tapping screw (not shown) is driven up from the flat portion  1602  and through the hole  1610  emerges and threads itself between the L-shaped wall projection  1612  and one of the two corners  810 ,  812  of the tilt bar  80 , wedging itself between the tilt bar  80  and the L-shaped wall  1612 , thereby effectively securing the plug  160  to one end of the tilt bar  80 . Two other holes  1614 ,  1616  and an interconnecting groove  1618  along the bottom of the flat portion  1602  serve to provide a path by which a cord could pass from the D section  802  of the tilt bar  80 , down through the hole  1614 , along the groove  1618 , up through the hole  1616 , and then into the “L” shaped section  804  of the tilt bar  80 , if desired. (No such cord is used in the embodiments described above.) 
   To connect the bottom of the tilt bar  80  to the bottom rail  21 A of the shutter blind  10 B, the plug  160  is inserted into the bottom end of the tilt bar  80 , and a self-tapping screw is driven up the counter sunk hole  1610  to secure the plug  160  to the tilt bar  80 . This assembly is then inserted into the cavity  1502  of the bottom end cap  150  by sliding the plug  160  horizontally into the open front of the end cap  150  along one of the serrations  1506 . The tilt bar  80  snaps past the shoulders  1504  of the end cap  150 , as shown in FIG.  39 B. If the length of the tilt bar  80  and bottom end cap  150  assembly needs to be shortened or lengthened, the tilt bar  80  and plug  160  are simply pulled forward, out of the end cap  150  and are then reinserted into the end cap  150  with the plug  160  aligned along a different serration  1506 .  FIG. 39C  shows the plug  160  inserted along a lower serration than it was inserted in  FIG. 39B , so the tilt bar  80  is effectively shorter in  FIG. 39C  than in FIG.  39 B.  FIG. 39D  shows is a sectional view showing the entire assembly of the tilt bar  80 , the plug  160 , the bottom end cap  150 , the multi-bar bottom attachment  140  and the bottom rail  21 A. 
   Alternate Embodiment of the Adjustable Bottom End Cap 
     FIGS. 42 through 44  show a second embodiment of the adjustable bottom end cap  150 A. As may be seen in  FIG. 42D , the shape of the bottom end cap  150 A is similar to the shape of the bottom end cap  150  of  FIG. 40B , the main difference being that there is an upwardly-projecting post  1514 A within the cavity  1502 A instead of the serrations  1506  of the previous embodiment. The post  1514 A has a wing-nut shaped hole  1516 A toward the free end of the post  1514 A. The wing-nut shaped hole  1516 A is a vertical slot, with an enlarged central portion. A lever  1518 A (See  FIG. 42E ) is used to lock the end cap  150 A to the tilt bar  80  at various heights. The lever  1518 A has an arm  1520 A with a first end  1522 A and a second end  1524 A. The first end  1522 A has a flat head  1526 A, while near the second end  1524 A there is a stub shaft  1528 A, with an enlarged nub  1530 A extending to one side and a rectangular block  1532 A extending from the opposite side. The nub  1530 A on the stub shaft  1528 A is snapped through the enlarged central hole  1516 A on the post  1514 A so that the stub shaft  1528 A rests in the hole  1516 A and the lever  1518 A is thus pivotably mounted on the post  1514 A of the adjustable bottom end cap  150 A. The orientation of the rectangular block  1532 A is such that its long-dimension side  1534 A is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm  1520 A and parallel to the axis of the stub shaft  1528 A. Its short-dimension side  1536 A is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm  1520 A. The long-dimension side  1534 A is slightly longer than the width of the leg  808  of the tilt bar  80 , and the short-dimension side  1536 A is slightly shorter than the width of the leg  808  of the tilt bar  80 . Thus, when the lever  1518 A is pivoted to the horizontal, unlocked position as shown in  FIGS. 42B and 43A , the long-dimension side  1534 A is parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the tilt bar  80  and the tilt bar  80  is able to slide up and down along the block  1532 A, so the position of the tilt bar  80  relative to the bottom end cap  150 A may be adjusted up or down as desired. However, when the lever  1518 A is pivoted to the vertical, locked position as shown in  FIGS. 42A and 44A , the long-dimension side  1534 A is perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the tilt bar  80  and thus wedges in place by jamming the block  1532 A between the wall  806  and the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80 . The tilt bar is thus locked in place at the desired location. It should be noted in  FIGS. 43A and 44A  that the contour of the wedge block  1532 A is curved on two opposed corners and square on the other two opposed corners. The curved corners aid in pivoting the lever arm  1520 A between locked and unlocked positions, and the square corners help lock the block  1532 A in place. In this arrangement, there is no plug on the bottom of the tilt bar  80  as there was in the previous embodiment. 
   The Mounting Bracket 
     FIGS. 50A through 50C  show the sliding-slot mounting bracket  40  of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . This mounting bracket  40  includes a housing  402  and a sliding-slot block  404 . The block is substantially rectangular with slightly tapered edges  406 , a flat outer surface  408  and a two-level inner surface  410 . The inner surface  410  has a shoulder or step  413  such that one part  410 A of the block is thinner and another part  410 B is thicker. The thicker portion  410 B defines an elongated, slotted cavity  412 , with the longitudinal dimension of the slotted cavity  412  substantially parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the block  404 . The slotted cavity  412  has two rounded ends  412 A,  412 B, the purpose of which will be described later. 
   The mounting bracket housing  402  is a substantially L shaped bracket, having a shorter leg  414  and a longer leg  420 . The shorter leg  414  has two holes  416  for securing the bracket  40  to a frame via screws (not shown). Two other holes  418 , located close to the first set of holes  416  but through the longer leg  420 , are also for mounting the bracket  40  to the frame. This arrangement allows for flexibility in the mounting of the bracket  40 , either for “inside” mounting (using the holes  418 ) or for “outside” mounting (using the holes  416 ). Hinged caps  422  snap in place to conceal the mounting screw heads once the bracket  40  is secured to its frame. 
   The inner surface  420 A of the longer leg  420  of the bracket housing  402  has a first slotted opening  424  running along a substantially horizontal, front-to-back axis (See FIG.  50 C), with slightly tapered sides  426  which slidably engage the sides of the block  404 . The block  404  is thus able to slide in and out along this first slotted opening  424  along its longitudinal dimension in a substantially front-to-back horizontal direction. A second slotted opening  428 , also on the inner surface  420 A of the longer leg  420 , defines an arc. The first slot  424  is a portion of a radius of the arc, which contacts the arcuate opening  428  at about its midpoint. Bridges  432  along the walls of the second slotted opening  428  at the intersection point  430  with the first slotted opening  424  ensure that any pin riding along this second slotted opening  428  will not stray into the first slotted opening  424 , as will be described later. 
   The assembly and operation of the mounting bracket  40  is as follows: Once the mounting bracket  40  has been mounted, via screws or other suitable attachment means, to a frame, and the block  404  is sliding in its first slotted opening  424 , the head rail  20  of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , with the end caps  30 , is mounted onto the bracket  40 . Referring to  FIG. 16A , the stub shaft  338 B of the edge pin  306  of the end cap  30  is inserted in the second slotted opening  428 , while the stub shaft  338 A of the central pin  306  is inserted in the slotted cavity  412  of the block  404 . This mounting process is repeated at both ends of the head rail  20 , so that both ends of the head rail  20  are mounted onto their respective mounting brackets  40 . 
   When the head rail  20  is in the tilted open position (as shown in FIGS.  1 A and  84 B), the mounting bracket  40  is in the position depicted in  FIG. 50A , with the block  404  in the fully extended position. The central stub shaft  338 A of the end cap  30  is in the slotted cavity  412  and pushing against the rounded end  412 A of the slotted cavity  412 . The edge stub shaft  338 B of the end cap  30  is in the slotted opening  428  at the intersection point  430  of the first and second slotted openings  424 ,  428 . 
   As the head rail  20  (and therefore all the louvers  14  and  21  of the shutter blind  10 ) is tilted closed, room side down, moving toward the position shown schematically in  FIG. 84A , the central stub shaft  338 A first moves horizontally towards the second rounded end  412 B of the slotted cavity  412 , while the edge stub shaft  338 B moves up along the slotted opening  428 . This motion encounters relatively little frictional system resistance until the central stub shaft  338 A actually makes contact with the second rounded end  412 B of the slotted cavity  412 . At this point, the head rail  20  is tilted closed at approximately 45 degrees. 
   Further tilting closed requires that the central stub shaft  338 A push against the second rounded end  412 B of the slotted cavity  412  to push the block  404  horizontally along the first slotted opening  424 , while the edge stub shaft  338 B continues to ride up along the second slotted opening  428 . Eventually, when the head rail  20  is in the fully tilted closed position, the mounting bracket  40  is in the position depicted in  FIG. 50B , where the block  404  is fully retracted inside the slotted opening  424 , and the shoulder  413  on the surface  410  of the block  404  is in contact with the bridge  432  of the housing  402 . This provides a stop so that the head rail  20  can not be “over tilted”. 
   As the operator now begins to tilt the head rail  20  from the fully tilted closed position of  FIG. 84A  toward the open position of  FIG. 84B , the central stub shaft  338 A first slides away from the second rounded edge  412 B and toward the first rounded edge  412 A in the slotted cavity  412 , while the edge stub shaft  338 B moves down along the slotted opening  428 . This motion encounters relatively little frictional system resistance until the first stub shaft  338 A actually makes contact with the first rounded end  412 A of the slotted cavity  412 . At this point, the head rail  20  is tilted open at approximately 45 degrees. 
   Further tilting open of the head rail  20  requires that the central stub shaft  338 A push against the first rounded end  412 A of the slotted cavity  412  to push the block  404  forward along the first slotted opening  424 , while the edge stub shaft  338 B continues to ride down along the second slotted opening  428 . Eventually, when the head rail  20  is in the fully tilted open position, the mounting bracket  40  is back in the position depicted in  FIG. 50A , where the block  404  is fully extended, and the edge stub shaft  338 B is in contact with the bridge  432  of the housing  402 . This provides a stop so that the head rail  20  cannot simply slide out of the mounting bracket  40 . 
   The action is repeated in substantially the same manner when tilting the shutter blind  10  closed with the room side up (to the position shown schematically in FIG.  84 C), except that the edge stub shaft  338 B rides down along the second slotted opening  428  instead of riding up along the slotted opening  428 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 84A ,  84 B, and  84 C, it is interesting to note that, in this preferred embodiment, the central stub shaft  338 A is aligned with the elongated, centroidal pivot axis of the head rail  20 . The head rail  20  pivots about this centroidal axis, which remains at the same height (the height of the slot  424 ) as the head rail  20  is tilted open or closed. Thus, as the head rail  20  is tilted open or closed, its centroid remains at the same horizontal level, but is displaced backward, toward the short leg  402  of the mounting bracket  40  (and thus toward the frame on which the bracket  40  is mounted) when the head rail is tilted closed (See FIGS.  84 A and  84 C), and is displaced forward, away from the short leg  402  of the mounting bracket  40  when the head rail is tilted open (See FIG.  84 B). Since there is no vertical component to the displacement of the centroid when tilting the head rail  20 , the effort to tilt the head rail  20  is minimized because the head rail  20  and the rest of the louvers  14 ,  21  which are part of the shutter blind  10 , need not be raised or lowered during the tilting process. It is also interesting to note that the system friction is generally sufficient to keep the shutter blind  10  tilted in the desired position without the need for additional braking mechanisms, especially if the head rail  20  has internal weights  236  to substantially cancel out any offsetting weights in the shutter bind system, as has already been described. 
   In some instances it is preferable, for aesthetic reasons, to tilt the blind closed approximately 45 degrees, room side down, before the blind is raised. This is accomplished automatically in this design by having the amount of force required to tilt the blind down to the 45 degree point be less than the force required to raise the blind, and then artificially raising the amount of force required to tilt beyond the 45 degree point so that the amount of force required is greater than that required to raise the blind. This is accomplished in the present design (See  FIGS. 50D ,  50 E, and  50 F) by placing a ramped ridge  460  in the second slotted opening  428  at the point corresponding to where the stub shaft  338 B on the end cap  30  of the head rail  20  is located when the head rail  20  is tilted closed, room side down, at approximately 45 degrees. Thus, when the hand control  90  is pulled down to raise the louvers  14  in the blind  10 , via the lift cord  12 , which is connected to the hand control  10  and tied off at the top end cap  70 A (as is described in more detail later), the head rail  20  is first tilted closed, room side down, until the stub shaft  338 B of the end cap  30  reaches the ramped ridge  460  in the second slotted opening  428 . At this point, corresponding to the head rail  20  being in the tilted closed position approximately 45 degrees, the stub shaft  338 B will encounter increased resistance to travel along the second slotted opening  428 , and, since this resistance is greater than the force required to raise the blind, the end cap  30 , head rail  20 , and the tilt bar  80  all come to a stop while the hand control continues to travel downwardly, thus raising the louvers  14 . For complete closure of the louvers  14  without raising the louvers  14 , pulling down on the tilt bar  80  results in the stub shaft  338 B riding up the ramped ridge  460  and then continuing along the path of the second slotted opening  428 . 
   Alternate Embodiments of the Mounting Bracket 
     FIGS. 47A through 47C  show a second embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 A as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . This bracket  40 A is very similar to that of the first preferred embodiment  40 , except that it does not have a sliding block  404 . Instead of a rounded front end, this embodiment  40 A has a V shaped front end  434 A, which projects out further than the front end of the first embodiment, and the slotted opening  424  is replaced by a slotted cavity  424 A. The central stub shaft  338 A is inserted into this slotted cavity  424 A, and the edge stub shaft  338 B is inserted into the arcuate cavity  428 A. Since there is no sliding block  404 , there is no need for bridges  432  to span the first slotted opening  424  at the point  430  where it meets with the second slotted opening  428 . The slotted cavity  424 A extends in a front-to-back horizontal direction, and, if it were extended long enough, it would intersect the second slotted opening  428 A in the same place  430 A where the first and second slotted openings  424 ,  428  meet in the first embodiment  40 . Small ridges or ribs  436 A are located along the arc defined by the second slotted opening  428 A to create additional resistance at desired points along the slide path of the edge stub shaft  338 B. In this preferred embodiment, the desired points correspond to the fully open, 45 degree tilted closed room side up, and 45 degree tilted closed room side down positions of the head rail  20 . 
     FIGS. 48A , and  48 B show a third embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 B. This bracket  40 B is very similar to the second embodiment  40 A. The main differences are that this embodiment  40 B has a two piece bracket  438 B,  440 B, the nose  434 B is more pointed than the nose  434 A, and the slotted cavity  424 B has a lip  442 B to retain the shaft of the fixed pin end cap  30 A or the floating pin end cap  30 B. 
   The first part of the bracket is as screw-in base  438 B, with holes  416 B for “outside” mounting and holes  418 B for “inside” mounting. Two flexible fingers  444 B project horizontally from a leg  414 B of the bracket  438 B. The snap-on bracket  440 B is also “L” shaped and has two projecting walls  446 B to engage the flexible fingers  444 B so as to secure the snap-on bracket  440 B to the screw-in bracket  438 B. Two covers  422 B on the snap on bracket  440 B cover the screw holes  416 B and  418 B to conceal the screws which secure the bracket  40 B to the frame. 
   The front-to-back, radial slotted cavity  424 B has a lip  442 B around most of its outer edge. Only a small discontinuous section  448 B is found close to the point  430 B where the slotted cavity  424 B intersects the second slotted opening  428 B. This discontinuous section  448 B allows for the insertion of the central pin  340  of the end cap  30 A (See FIG.  20 F). Once inserted in the slotted cavity  424 B, the flange  344  on the pin  340  is trapped behind the lip  442 B so it cannot be pulled out from the slotted cavity  424 B unless the pin  340  is brought back to the small discontinuous section  448 B. The operation of this mounting bracket  40 B is otherwise identical to that of the first embodiment  40 . 
     FIG. 49  depicts a fourth embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 C. This embodiment is almost identical to the third embodiment  40 B, except that the slotted cavity  424 C has the small discontinuous section  448 C at the front end of the bracket  40 C, at the opposite end from the point  430 C where the front-to-back slotted cavity  424 C intersects the arcuate second slotted opening  428 C. As in the case of the third embodiment  40 B, once the pin  340  is inserted in the slotted cavity  424 C, the flange  340  is trapped behind the lip  442 C. The operation of this mounting bracket  40 C is otherwise identical to that of the second embodiment  40 A. 
     FIG. 51  shows a fifth embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 D as it is mounted to an end cap  30 C. This mounting bracket  40 D resembles an old style bottle opener with a handle  450 D at one end and a kidney-shaped cavity  452 D at the other end. The handle  450 D has two mounting holes  416 D for securing the bracket  40 D to a frame via screws (not shown). The cavity  452 D has internal gear teeth  454 D against the side of the cavity  452 D opposite the handle  450 D. The end cap  30 C is similar to the end cap  30  described earlier except that, instead of the springs  304  and pins  306 , this embodiment  30 C has a single externally geared wheel  456 D mounted along the centroidal axis of the head rail  20 . This geared wheel  456 D fits inside the cavity  452 D of the mounting bracket  40 D, and the teeth  458 D on the geared wheel  456 D mesh with the internal gears  454 D in the cavity  452 D. The geared wheel  456 D is non-rotatably secured to the end cap  30 C so that, when the head rail  20  is tilted together with its end caps  30 C, the geared wheel  456 D is forced to travel along the arc defined by the path of the internal gears  454 D in the cavity  452 D of the bracket  40 D. 
   Assuming that the head rail  20  (represented by the end cap  30 C in  FIG. 51 ) is in the tilted closed position, then, as the head rail is tilted open, the geared wheel  456 D meshes with the internal gears  454 D. Thus, as the head rail pivots along its centroid, the centroid is displaced both vertically and horizontally, following the arc defined by the path of the internal gears  454 D in the cavity  452 D of the bracket  40 D. Thus, the motion imparted by this mounting bracket  40 D is similar to the motion imparted by the previous embodiments  40 ,  40 A,  40 B, and  40 C in that the centroid of the head rail  20  is displaced horizontally, but it differs from those previous embodiments in that it also imparts a vertical component to the-displacement. If the externally geared wheel (or spur gear)  456 D has pitch diameter equal to four times the desired linear travel of the centroid of the head rail  20 , then the centroid accomplishes the desired linear travel while the head rail  20  and louvers  14  rotate through 90 degrees of arc, and does so without the need for a rear pin on the end cap  30 C or a second slot on the mounting bracket  40 D. 
     FIG. 51A  shows a sixth embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 E as it is mounted to an end cap  30 E. This mounting bracket  40 E is very similar to the fourth embodiment  40 D described earlier, except the centroid of the head rail  20  is not displaced vertically as the head rail  20  tilts open or closed. A cavity  452 E on the mounting bracket  450 E has internal gear teeth  454 E against the lower side of the cavity  452 E. The end cap  30 E is similar to the end cap  30 C described earlier except that the single externally geared wheel  456 E is not geared all the way around. This geared wheel  456 E fits inside the cavity  452 E of the mounting bracket  40 E, and the teeth  458 E on the geared wheel  456 E mesh with the internal gears  454 E in the cavity  452 E. The geared wheel  456 E is non-rotatably secured to the end cap  30 E so that, when the head rail  20  is tilted together with its end caps  30 E, the geared wheel  456 E is forced to travel along the arc defined by the path of the internal gears  454 E in the cavity  452 E of the bracket  40 E. Since these internal gears  454 E are in a straight horizontal rack, there is no vertical component of motion imparted to the head rail  20  as the head rail  20  is tilted open or closed. 
   As may be appreciated, the head rail  20  and louvers  14  of the embodiment  40 E depicted in  FIGS. 51A and 51B  may only be tilted closed room side up.  FIGS. 52C and 51D  depict a very similar embodiment  40 F, wherein the internal gear teeth  454 F are located against the upper side of the cavity  452 F, and the head rail  20  and louvers  14  may only be tilted closed room side down. 
     FIGS. 51E-51G  schematically depict an eighth embodiment of a mounting bracket  40 G which may be used instead of any of the previously described embodiments  40 - 40 C with only minor modifications to the end caps  30 . The second slotted opening  428  (See  FIG. 50A ) found in the mounting bracket  40  is eliminated and replaced with a pivot linkage  462 G which is pivotably secured at a first end to the end cap  30  at the same place  338 E where the stub shaft  338 B of the pin  306  is found on the end cap  30 . The second end of the pivot linkage  462 G is pivotably secured at a point  432 G on the mounting bracket  40 G which is in line with and proximate the rear end of the first slotted opening  424 . The pivoting of this pivot linkage about its two pivot points  338 G,  432 G guides the rear pin  306  of the end cap  30  to tilt the head rail  20  as the centroid of the head rail  20  traverses toward the room side when being tilted open and away from the room side when being tilted closed. 
   The Hand Control for Raising and Lowering the Shutter Blind 
   The hand control  90 , which is mounted on the tilt bar  80 , as shown in  FIG. 1A , is used to raise and lower the louvers  14 ,  21  of the shutter blind  10 . It slides up and down the tilt bar  80 , and it keeps the lift cords  12  untangled and concealed within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  (See  FIG. 45  for the details of the tilt bar  80 ). 
   Referring to  FIG. 52 , the hand control assembly  90  includes a wrap-around housing  902 , a control button  904 , a control pulley pin  906 , a control pulley  908 , a control locking pin  910 , and a spring  912 . Depressing the control button  904 , retracts the locking pin  910 , permitting the hand control assembly  90  to slide up and down along the tilt bar  80 , while releasing the control button  904  permits the spring  912  to extend the pin  906 , pressing the pin  906  into the wall  818  of the tilt bar  80  and locking the hand control assembly  90  in place on the tilt bar  80 .  FIG. 60A  shows the hand control assembly  90  in the locked position, and  FIG. 60C  shows the hand control assembly  90  with the control button  904  depressed, so the hand control assembly  90  can be slid up and down the tilt bar  80 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 54A through 54D , the housing  902  is a substantially tunnel-shaped piece with a first, longitudinal, arched cavity  914 , which is open at both ends  916 ,  918 . This cavity  914  is sized and shaped to envelop the D shaped section  802  of the tilt bar  80 . The arch-like cavity  914  has a first side  920  and a second side  922 . A rear wall  924  extends from the rear of the first side  920  toward the second side  922  but does not entirely bridge the distance, leaving a small gap  926 , which allows the passage of the leg  808  of the tilt bar  80  (as shown in FIG.  60 A). The rear wall  924  includes an inwardly-directed, rectangular projection  928 . Two semicircular cavities  930  in the rear surface of the rear wall  924  extend into the projection  928 . A cut-away portion in the rear wall  924  forms a large gap  934 . The cut does not extend completely through the rear wall, however, as it leaves a bridge  936 . A small recess  938  is located on the center of the bridge  936 . There are also two small shaft-receiving recesses  940  on the rear wall  924  at the edges of the cut-away portion  934 , which receive the shafts for the control button, as will be described later. A space  942  extending the full length of the housing  902  between the side  920  and the rectangular projection  928  (As shown in  FIG. 54B ) receives the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , as shown in  FIGS. 60A and 60C . 
   The “J” shaped control button  904  (See  FIGS. 55A and 55B ) pivotably mounts on the control handle  902 , with the shafts  944  of the control button  904  received in the recesses  940  in the back wall  924 . The inner surface and outer surface of the control button  904  conform to the shape of the control bar housing  902 , so, for example, the control button  904  defines a recess  942 A which matches the recess  942  on the housing  902 , and this recess  942 A also receives the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80  (see FIG.  60 C). Between the two stub shafts  944  and toward the end of the “hook” of the “J” there is a hole  946  with a countersunk section  948  to locate the locking pin  910 , as will be described later. On the outside of the long leg  947  of the “J” there is a thumb rest  949 . 
     FIG. 56  shows the control pulley pin  906  which includes an elongated semi circular base  950  with a countersunk circular recess  952  and a projecting pin  954  extending from the middle of the countersunk circular recess  952  and perpendicular to the base  950 . The base  950  is sized and shaped to fit inside one of the elongated semi-circular cavities  930  of the housing  902 . The pin  954  extends through a center opening  956  in the pulley  908  (See  FIGS. 57A and 57B ) and into a circular recess  931  in the cavity  930 , and this pin and pulley assembly then rests inside one of the semi-circular cavities  930  of the housing  902 . 
   The locking pin  910  (See  FIGS. 58A and 58B ) has a sharp first end  958 , a second rounded end  960 , and a flange  962  is fixedly secured approximately half-way between the two ends  958 ,  960  of the locking pin  910 . The sharp end  958  of the locking pin  910  goes through the hole  946  of the control button  904  such that the sharp end  946  protrudes into the recess  942 A, and the flange  962  rests in the countersunk hole  948 . A spring  912  (See  FIG. 59 ) slides over the rounded end  960  of the locking pin  910 , and when the control button  904  is assembled to the housing  902 , the rounded end  960  of the locking pin  910  rests in the depression  938  of the housing  902 , with the spring  912  trapped and compressed between the flange  962  of the locking pin  910  and the depression  938  of the housing  902 . As may be appreciated from the sectional view of  FIG. 60A , the compressed spring  912  pushing (at one end) against the indentation  938  on the bridge  936  and (at the other end) against the flange  962 , is also pushing the sharp point  958  of the locking pin  910  into the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , causing the hand control  90  to lock in place. When the hand control is grabbed by the user to raise or lower the blind, the thumb naturally comes to rest on the thumb rest  949  of the control button  904 . This action compresses the spring  912 , and releases the sharp end  958  of the locking pin  910  from its bite on the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80  (See FIG.  60 C). The hand control  90  is then free to slide up and down along the tilt bar  80  until the control button  904  is released, when the spring  912  again forces the sharp end  958  of the locking pin  910  to grip onto the extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , locking the hand control  90  in this new location. 
   To assemble and use the hand control  90  as shown in  FIG. 1A , the lift cords  12  are routed from the front and rear sides of the bottom rail  21 , up through the cord glides  50  into the head rail  20  and out of the head rail  20  via the tilt bar top attachment  60 , through the third and first cavities  712 ,  708  of the top end cap  70 A, down along the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  through the slotted opening  932  of the housing  902 , around the pulley  908  (located inside the cavity  930  of the housing  902 ) and back up through the slotted opening  932 . From here, the lift cords  12  are routed back up the same cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , through the cavities  708  and  722  of the top end cap  70 A and finally tied off via the ferrule  706  on the top end cap  70 A. The control button  904  is assembled together with the locking pin  910  and the spring  912  as has already been described, and the entire assembly  90  is mounted onto the tilt bar  80  by sliding the tilt bar  80  through the hand control  90  such that the ‘D’ shaped section  802  of the tilt bar  80  is enveloped by the cavity  914  of the hand control  90  and the leg  808  of the tilt bar  80  extends through the gap  926  between the leg  922  and the fingers  924  of the hand control  90 . 
   Since the lift cords  12  are routed around the pulley  908  and are tied off at the ferrule  706  of the top end cap  70 A, as the hand control is pulled down along the tilt bar  80  the bottom rail  21  of the shutter blind  10  is raised. Furthermore, the pulley  908  acts as a doubler so that the hand control must travel only half the distance that the bottom rail  21  travels. Thus, the lift cords  12  remain concealed within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , and simply grabbing the hand control  90  at the thumb rest  949  releases the locking pin  910 , allowing the hand control  90  to slide up or down along the tilt bar  80  to lower or raise respectively the shutter blind  10 , and to do so in half the distance corresponding to the height of the shutter blind  10 . Furthermore, this mechanism is able to accomplish this while the tilt bar  80  swings freely through any angle ranging from vertical to horizontal and anything in between. 
   Alternate Embodiment of the Hand Control 
   The hand control  190 , shown in  FIGS. 85-94 , may be used instead of the hand control  90  of FIG.  1 A. As in the case of the hand control  90 , this alternate embodiment of the hand control  190  slides up and down the tilt bar  80 , and it keeps the lift cords  12  untangled and concealed within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  (See  FIG. 45  for the details of the tilt bar  80 ). 
   Referring to  FIG. 85 , the hand control  190  includes a grip cover  1902 , a cover housing  1904 , a pulley housing  1906 , a pulley axle  1908 , a pulley  1910 , a lock arm  1912 , and a spring  1914 . As will be described in more detail below, sliding the grip housing  1902  upwardly lowers the louvers, and sliding the grip housing downwardly raises the louvers. Whether raising or lowering the louvers  14 , as soon as the hand control  190  is released by the user, the weight of the louvers  14  is transmitted via the lift cord  12  and the pulley  1910  to the pulley housing  1906  and the lock arm  1912 , which causes the hand control  190  to lock onto the tilt bar  80 . 
   Before describing the operation of the hand control  190 , its parts and assembly will be described in detail. Referring now to  FIGS. 89A ,  89 B, and  89 C, the rectangularly-shaped pulley housing  1906  has a substantially square cavity  1916  towards its top end. This cavity  1916  has open front and back sides, and its top end has two notched out openings  1918  for routing the lift cord  12  into and out of the cavity  1916 . A pulley axle hole  1920  goes through both sides of the cavity  1916 , and one of these sides has a square depression  1921  in its outer surface to accommodate the pulley axle  1908 , as will be described later. A second cavity  1922  towards the bottom end of the pulley housing  1906  connects internally with a third cavity  1924 , which houses the spring  1914 . The second cavity  1922  has a pin  1926  projecting from the far wall of the cavity  1922 , which pivotably engages the lock arm  1912 , as will be described in more detail later. The overall width of the pulley housing  1906  is slightly less than the length of the long leg  806  of the tilt bar  80 , and the overall thickness of the pulley housing  1906  is slightly less than the length of the short leg  808  of the tilt bar  80 , such that the pulley housing  1906  may slide within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  as shown in FIG.  88 B. 
     FIGS. 92A and 92B  show the pivoting lock arm  1912 . This lock arm  1912  has a sharp edge  1928  at its free, wedge-shaped end  1930 , and a hole  1932  at its opposite, rounded end  1934 . The hole  1932  of the lock arm  1912  slides over the pin  1926  of the pulley housing  1906 , as shown in  FIG. 88B , so that when the lock arm  1912  is mounted within the cavity  1922 , it may pivot around the axis defined by the pin  1926 . The lock arm  1912  moves up and down with the pulley housing  1906  as the pulley housing  1906  slides up and down the tilt bar  80 . The lock arm  1912  has a top surface  1936  and a bottom surface  1938 . As shown in  FIG. 88B , a biasing spring  1914  mounts in the third cavity  1924  and pushes against the top surface  1936  of the lock arm  1912  to bias the sharp edge  1928  of the lock arm  1912  outwardly against the short leg  818  of the tilt bar  80 . 
     FIGS. 93A and 93B  depict the pulley  1910  which has an axial hole  1940  extending through it. The pulley  1910  slides into the square cavity  1916  of the pulley housing  1906  via the open front or rear sides of the cavity  1916 , so that the hole  1940  of the pulley  1910  lines up with the holes  1920  on the left and right sides of the pulley housing  1906 .  FIG. 94  shows the pulley axle assembly  1908 , which includes an axle  1942  projecting from a flat, square surface  1944 . Once the pulley  1910  is inserted into the square cavity  1916 , and its hole  1940  is aligned with the holes  1920  in the pulley housing  1906 , the axle portion  1942  of the pulley axle assembly  1908  is inserted through the holes  1920  in the pulley housing and the hole  1940  of the pulley  1910 , and the flat, square surface  1944  mates into the square depression  1921  of the pulley housing  1906 . The pulley  1910  is then free to rotate around the axis defined by the axle  1942 , and the pulley  910  moves up and down with the pulley housing  1906  as the pulley housing  1906  slides up and down the tilt bar  80 . 
     FIGS. 90A and 90B  show the cover housing  1904 . It has a square-shaped upper bracket  1946 , which serves the dual purpose of acting as a route for the lift cords  12  to enter and exit the hand control  190  via the opening  1948 , and of serving as a contact area to push down on the pulley housing  1906  as will be explained later. A lower, “L”-shaped bracket  1950  also serves a dual purpose. Its lower, horizontal leg  1952  serves as a contact area to push up on the pulley housing  1906  (as will be explained later), and its upper, vertical leg  1954  serves as a tab  1954 , which pushes up on the bottom surface  1938  of the pivoting lock arm  1912  in order to unlock the lock arm  1912  from the tilt bar  80 , as will also be explained in more detail later. A side wall  1956  on the housing cover  1904  closes the gap in the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , and extends in an arc  1958  beyond the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80  (See FIG.  88 B). Two wings  1960  project from this arc  1958  with a narrow slotted crevice  1962  defined between these two wings  1960 . When the housing cover  1904  is mounted onto the tilt bar  80 , these wings  1960  hug the outside surface of the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 . 
     FIGS. 91A and 91B  show the grip housing  1902 . The grip housing  1902  defines a cavity  1964 , and has three horizontal, U-shaped, slotted ridges  1966  on its inner surface. The middle slotted ridge  1966  mates with the slotted crevice  1962  on the housing cover  1904  (See  FIG. 85C ) such that, when the hand control  190  is installed on the tilt bar  80 , the grip housing  1902  envelops the “D” section  802  of the tilt bar  80  as well as the leg  808  and the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , and the housing cover  1904  moves together with the grip housing  1902  when the grip housing  1902  slides up and down the tilt bar  80 . 
   To assemble and use the hand control  190  of  FIGS. 85A and 85B , the lift cords  12  (which run right next to and are hidden by the tilt cables  16  in  FIG. 1A ) are routed from the front and rear sides of the bottom rail  21 , up through the cord glides  50  into the head rail  20  See  FIG. 83 ) and out of the head rail  20  via the tilt bar top attachment  60  (See FIG.  38 A), through the third and first cavities  712 ,  708  of the top end cap  70 A, down along the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  through the slotted opening  1948  of the cover housing  1904  (See FIG.  86 B), through the notched openings  1918 , around the pulley  1910  (located inside the cavity  1916  of the pulley housing  1906  and held rotationally in place by the pulley axle  1908 ) and back up through the notched openings  1918 , and out through the slotted opening  1948 . From here, the lift cords  12  are routed back up the same cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , through the cavities  708  and  722  of the top end cap  70 A and finally tied off via the ferrule  706  on the top end cap  70 A. The pulley housing  1906  is assembled together with the lock arm  1912  and the spring  1914 , and this sub-assembly is place between the two brackets  1946 ,  1950  as shown in FIG.  86 A. This entire assembly is then slid down along the tilt bar  80  so that the lift cords  12  are inside the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , and the sharp edge  1928  of the lock arm  1912  is riding along the inside surface of the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 . Finally, the grip housing  1902  is secured onto the cover housing  1904  by sliding the slotted ridge  1966  into the slotted crevice  1962 , as has already been described. 
   Since the lift cords  12  are routed around the pulley  1910  and are tied off at the ferrule  706  of the top end cap  70 A, as the hand control  190  is pulled down along the tilt bar  80  the bottom rail  21  of the shutter blind  10  is raised. Furthermore, the pulley  1910  acts as a doubler, so that the hand control  190  must travel only half the distance that the bottom rail  21  travels. Also, the lift cords  12  remain concealed within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 86B and 87B , simply raising the grip housing  1902  also raises the cover housing  1904  (since they are interconnected via the slotted ridges  1966  and the slotted crevice  1962 ) so that the tab  1954  of the lower bracket  1950  is also raised until it impacts against the bottom surface  1938  of the pivoting lock arm  1912 , thus unlocking the hand control  190  and allowing the hand control  190  to be raised by the lower leg  1952  of the “L”-shaped bracket  1950 , as shown in FIG.  87 B. By the same token (See FIG.  88 B), simply lowering the grip housing  1902  also lowers the cover housing  1904 , so that the upper bracket  1946  pushes down onto the pulley housing  1906 , canceling out the upward force of the lift cord  12  that is wrapped around the pulley  1910 . Once the upward force of the lift cord is overcome by the downward force of the person pulling down the hand control, the pivoting lock arm  1912  releases its grip on the tilt bar  80 , and downward motion of the hand control  190  relative to the tilt bar  80  begins. The sharp edge  1928  of the pivoting lock arm  1912  scrapes down along the inner surface of the tilt bar  80  as the hand control  190  moves downwardly relative to the tilt bar  80 . In any event, whether raising or lowering the hand control  190 , as soon as the hand control  190  is released by the user, the spring  1914  pushes the lock arm  1912  against the inner surface of the tilt bar  80 , and the weight of the louvers  14  on the lift cords  12  (and thus on the pulley housing  1906  and on the lock arm  1912 ) immediately locks the sharp edge  1928  of the lock arm  1912  onto the tilt bar  80 , locking the hand control  190  in place. The greater the weight of the louvers pulling on the lift cords  12 , the greater the locking force with which the hand control  190  is locked onto the tilt bar  80 . As was the case for the first embodiment of the hand control  90 , this hand control  190  slides up or down along the tilt bar  80  to lower or raise respectively the shutter blind  10 , and to do so in half the distance corresponding to the height of the shutter blind  10 . Furthermore, this mechanism is able to accomplish this while the tilt bar  80  swings freely through any angle ranging from vertical to horizontal and anything in between. 
   We have reviewed how one embodiment of the hand control  90  has a control pulley  908 , and how the lift cord  12  exits the head rail  20  and wraps around the control pulley  908  (as seen in  FIG. 38A ) and ties off at the top end cap  70 A, resulting in a doubling effect on the lift cord  12 . Thus, for any distance that the hand control  90  moves up or down along the tilt bar  80 , the lift cord  12  travels twice that distance. The blind  10  may thus be designed so that the hand control  90  operates only in the bottom half of the tilt bar  80  and yet is able to fully raise or lower the blind  10 . This applies equally for the second embodiment of the hand control  190 . 
   In some instances, it may be desirable to have an additional doubling of the effect on the tilt cord, and this may be readily accomplished by placing a pulley  242 F in the head rail  20 F as shown schematically in  FIGS. 83A and 83B . The head rail  20 F is not unlike any of the previously described head rails  20  through  20 E, but it does have a pulley mechanism to double the effect on the lift cord  12 . The head rail  20 F has a fixed pulley  240 F close to one end of the head rail  20 F. A floating pulley  242 F is free to travel longitudinally inside of the head rail  20 F. 
   Referring to FIG.  83 A and contrasting it against  FIG. 83 , we see that the lift cords  12  enter the head rail  20 F via the cord glides  50  (for clarity, only the rear lift cords and rear cord glides are shown), wrap around the fixed pulley  240 F, wrap around the floating pulley  242 F, and are tied off at one end  244 F of the head rail  20 F, proximate the fixed pulley  240 F. A new lift cord  12 A is secured at one end to the axle of the floating pulley  242 F and the other end exits the head rail  20 F via the tilt bar top attachment  60 B and goes on to the hand control  90  as has already been described. 
     FIG. 83A  shows the relative position of the floating pulley  242 F when the blind  10  is in the lowered position. As the hand control  90  is lowered, the lift cord  12 A pulls the floating pulley  242 F along the longitudinal dimension of the head rail  20 F. This pulls on the lift cords  12  which are tied off at one end  244 F, so the other end, tied off at the bottom rail  21  is forced to move up, raising the blind  10  with it (See FIG.  83 B). For any distance that the lift cord  12 A moves up or down along the tilt bar  80 , the lift cord  12  travels twice that distance. If the lift cord  12 A is also going through a doubler pulley  908  in the hand control  90 , then for any distance that the hand control  90  moves up or down along the tilt bar  80 , the lift cord  12  travels four times that distance. 
   The Pivot Bracket 
     FIGS. 61A ,  61 B,  65 ,  66 A, and  66 B show the pivot bracket  100  of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . When the tilt bar  80  is secured to the bottom rail  21 A, as in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the pivot bracket  100  is not used. However, if the tilt bar  80  is not secured to the bottom rail  21 A, or  21 , and it is not desired to have the tilt bar  80  free to swing about, then a pivot bracket  100  may be used. 
   In this preferred embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 , there is a bottom attachment  1002  that has a cavity  1008  which is practically identical to the cavity  708  of the top end cap  70 , complete with a shoulder on the inside of a flexible tongue  1010 . This cavity  1008  accommodates the bottom end of the tilt bar  80 , and the shoulder  1012  on the flexible tongue  1010  latches on to the notch  816  on the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80 , so that the tilt bar  80  and the bottom attachment  1002  are releasably connected and move together as a single piece. The side of this bottom attachment  1002  is curved at  1014 , making a right angle turn and terminating in a nose  1016 . The nose  1016  defines a central projection and a hole  1018 , which extends through the nose  1016  and is used to pivotably secure the bottom attachment  1002  to a connecting arm  1004  via a rivet  1020 . Partially surrounding the projection and hole  1018  is a shoulder  1022 , which describes an arc. This shoulder  1022  acts as a stop to prevent the pivot bracket  100 , and thus the tilt bar  80  and the head rail  20  (both of which are connected to the pivot bracket  100  via the bottom attachment  1002  as previously described), to “over latch”. Over latch, in this instance, is a condition wherein the mechanism, in this case the pivot bracket  100 , is at or beyond the top-dead-center or beyond the bottom-dead-center, such that the vertical component of a force may cause the mechanism to continue going around a full revolution instead of reversing directions. 
   The connecting arm  1004  is a flat tapered piece with a first hole  1024  at one end  1028  and a second hole  1026  at the other end  1030  of the connecting arm  1004 . The first hole  1024  is aligned with the hole  1018  of the bottom attachment  1002  and these two pieces  1002 ,  1004  are pivotably secured via a rivet  1020  as described earlier. The second hole  1026  is aligned with a hole  1032  on the frame attachment  1006 , and these two pieces  1004 ,  1006  are similarly pivotably secured via a rivet  1020 . The frame attachment  1006  has two other holes  1034 , which are used to secure the frame attachment  1006  to a frame via screws (not shown). 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1A , as the tilt bar  80  is pushed up or down by the user in order to tilt the head rail  20  (and thus the rest of the louvers  14  of the shutter blind  10 ), the pivot bracket  100  allows this vertical movement, with the pivot bracket  100  pivoting around both of its pivot points defined by the riveted connections through the holes  1024  and  1026  of the connecting arm  1004 . By the time the head rail  20  has reached a fully tilted closed position, but before the pivot bracket  100  reaches an over latch condition, one edge  1036  or  1038  of the connecting arm  1004  impacts against the shoulder  1022  of the bottom attachment  1002 , stopping any further motion in that direction. 
   Alternate Embodiments of the Pivot Bracket 
     FIG. 67A  shows a second embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 A, which has essentially the same elements as the first embodiment  100 , even though they look different. The bottom attachment  1002 A (See  FIGS. 71A and 71B ) is very similar to the bottom attachment  1002  of the first embodiment  100 . It has a cavity  1008 A to accommodate the tilt bar  80 , and it curves around a right angle and terminates with a nose  1016 A and a hole  1018 A. The frame attachment  1006 A (see  FIGS. 68A-C ) is also fairly readily recognizable as it has the mounting holes  1034 A to secure the frame attachment  1006 A to a frame. However, instead of a rivet hole  1026  as in the previous embodiment  100 , this frame attachment  1006 A has a raised flange  1040 A (See  FIGS. 68A ,  68 B, and  68 C) which runs along the entire outer, half-oval shaped edge  1042 A of the frame attachment  1006 A. 
   The connecting arm  1004 A in this embodiment is very different from the connecting arm  1004  of the previous embodiment  100 . (See  FIGS. 70A and 70B ) In this embodiment  100 A, the connecting arm  1004 A is a short cylinder with an outside diameter which fits inside the hole  1018 A of the bottom attachment  1002 A. The cylinder has a first flanged end  1044 A, wedges  1046 A on the outside surface of the cylinder and approximately half way between the first flanged end  1044 A and a second truncated end  1048 A with a slotted cavity  1050 A designed to slidably receive the raised flange  1040 A of the frame attachment  1006 A. 
   Referring to  FIG. 67C , the connecting arm  1004 A is inserted through the hole  1018 A of the bottom attachment  1002 A such that the nose  1016 A is pivotably trapped between the first flanged end  1044 A and the shoulders  1052 A of the wedges  1046 A on the outside diameter of the connecting arm  1004 A. The raised flange  1040 A on the half-oval shaped outer edge  1042 A of the frame attachment  1006 A slides into the slotted cavity  1050 A on the truncated end  1048 A of the connecting arm  1004 A. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4A , as the tilt bar  80  is pushed up or down by the user in order to tilt the head rail  20  (and thus the rest of the louvers  14  of the shutter blind  10 C), the pivot bracket  100 A allows this vertical movement with the pivot bracket  100 A pivoting around its pivot point defined by the pivotably connected bottom attachment  1002 A and the connecting arm  1004 A, while the connecting arm  1004 A slides along the half-oval path defined by the outer edge  1042 A of the frame attachment  1002 A, guided along by the raised flange  1040 A of the frame attachment riding inside the slotted cavity  1050 A of the connecting arm  1004 A as illustrated in  FIGS. 69A and 69B . 
     FIGS. 62A ,  62 B, and  63 A depict a third embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 B which may be used instead of either of the previously described pivot brackets  100 ,  100 A. Once again, the bottom attachment  1002 B, the connecting arm  1004 B, and the frame attachment  1006 B are present and readily recognizable. The significant difference between this embodiment  100 B and the first embodiment  100  is that, instead of a short rivet  1020  to pivotably secure the connecting arm  1004  to the bottom attachment  1002 , a long stem  1054 B is used, which pivotably snaps into a hollow cylinder  1056 B (See FIG.  63 A). The larger contact area afforded by the long stem  1054 B in the hollow cylinder  1056 B results in a stronger connection between these two pieces  1002 B,  1004 B. A V shaped step  1022 B, along the outer surface of the connecting arm  1004 B, impacts against one of the outer edges  1058 B,  1060 B of the frame attachment  1006 B to stop the pivot bracket  100 B and thus prevent an over latch condition. 
     FIGS. 64A and 64B  depict a fourth embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 C, which may be used instead of any of the previously described pivot brackets  100 ,  100 A,  100 B. Once again, the bottom attachment  1002 C, the connecting arm  1004 C, and the frame attachment  1006 C are present and readily recognizable. The significant difference between this embodiment  100 C and the first embodiment  100  is that, as in the case of the third embodiment  100 C, the stop  1022 C to prevent an over latch condition is on the connecting arm  1004 C, and it takes the form of a triangle  1022 C.  FIG. 64B  clearly shows this stop  1022 C in operation as one side of the triangle  1022 C impacts against the side  1058 C of the frame attachment  1006 C, corresponding to the tilt bar  80  in the fully raised position (the shutter blind  10  in the fully tilted closed, room side up position). 
     FIGS. 72A ,  72 B,  73 A, and  73 B depict a fifth embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 D, which may be used instead of any of the previously described pivot brackets  100 ,  100 A,  100 B,  100 C. Once again, the bottom attachment  1002 D, and the connecting arm  1004 D are present and readily recognizable, while the frame attachment may be from any one of the previously described mounting brackets, such as the mounting bracket  40 B shown in FIG.  72 A. Thus, the connecting arm  1004 D very closely resembles part of the air foil shaped end cap  30 A (See  FIGS. 20A and 73A ) which was designed to mount to mounting bracket  40 B. The advantage of this pivot bracket  100 D is that, without actually being directly connected to the bottom louver  21 , the connecting arm  1004 D looks like an end cap for the bottom rail  21  and mimics the motion of the bottom rail  21  even as the bottom rail  21  tilts closed and traverses toward the wall or tilts open and traverses away from the wall. 
     FIGS. 73C and 73D  depict a sixth embodiment of a pivot bracket  100 E, which is used in the blind embodiment of  FIGS. 5E and 5F , where the shutter blind  10 F includes the tilt bar  80  at the very end of the head rail  20 . Thus, this sixth embodiment of the pivot bracket  100 E is very similar to the first embodiment  100 . Once again, the bottom attachment  1002 E, the connecting arm  1004 E, and the frame attachment  1006 E are present and readily recognizable. The significant difference between this embodiment  100 E and the first embodiment  100  is that the bottom attachment  1002 E is not curved at  1014 . 
   The Custodial Wand 
   The custodial wand  180  and its parts are shown in  FIGS. 5C ,  5 D,  74 - 76 D. The custodial wand  180  is used to tilt the shutter blind  10 D (as shown in  FIG. 5C ) when the tilt bar  80  itself is not within the user&#39;s arm&#39;s reach. The custodial wand mechanism  180  includes a custodial wand clip  1802 , a custodial wand tip  1804 , and the custodial wand itself  1806 . The wand clip  1802  is essentially a rectangular block  1808  designed to snap in snugly within the partial cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  (shown in detail in FIGS.  45 - 46 C). A step  1810  at a first end  1812  of the block  1808  snaps in under the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80  so that the first end  1812  abuts the leg  808  of the tilt bar  80 . A slotted opening  1814  in the clip  1802  accommodates the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , so that a second end  1816  of the block  1808  abuts the leg  806  of the tilt bar  80 . A pair of wings  1818  project from a third end  1820 , and these wings  1818  hug the outside wall of the wall extension  818  of the tilt bar  80 , as shown in  FIG. 74. A  hole  1819  extends through the block  1808  from the third end  1820  to the first end  1812  so that a self-tapping screw (not shown) may be driven through the hole  1819  and against the lower leg  808  of the tilt bar  80 , to help secure the wand clip  1802  to the tilt bar  80 . The wand clip  1802  is snapped anywhere along the length of the tilt bar  80 , where it remains without sliding due to the snug fit between the block  1808  and the tilt bar  80 , and aided by the self tapping screw as described above. 
   The wand tip  1804  is a hollow cap designed to receive the upper end of the cylindrical wand  1806  in its cavity  1824 . Two bumps  1826  project inwardly inside the cavity  1824  to help secure the wand  1806  within this cavity  1824 . Two arms  1828  project from the outside of the hollow cap  1822 , and each of these arms ends in a pair of wings  1830 , similar to the wings  1818  of the wand clip  1802 . A U-shaped opening  1832  between the arms  1828  is designed to receive the “D” shaped section  802  of the tilt bar  80  when the custodial wand  180  is in use. 
   To use the custodial wand  180 , one end of the wand  1806  is inserted into the cavity  1824  of the tip  1804  so that the bumps  1826  grab onto the wand  1806 . The wand clip  1802  is snapped onto the tilt bar  80 , anywhere along the length of the tilt bar  80 , as has already been described, and the locking screw is inserted to secure the wand clip  1802  to the tilt bar  80 . The wand  1806  and tip  1804  assembly is brought over to the tilt bar  80 , so that the arms  1828  receive the tilt bar  80  as shown in FIG.  74 . If the wings  1830  of the tip  1804  are above the wings  1818  of the clip  1802  (as shown in FIG.  74 ), then the wand may be pulled down so that the wings  1830 ,  1818  of the tip and clip engage each other, and the tip  1804  of the wand  180  may pull down on the clip  1802 , thus pulling the tilt bar  80  down. To reverse this action, the wings  1830  of the wand tip  1804  are placed below the wings  1818  of the clip  1802 , and the wand  1806  is pushed up, so that the wings  1830 , 1818  engage each other and the tip  1804  may push up on the clip  1802 , thus pushing up the tilt bar  80 . When the custodial wand is not being used to shift the tilt bar  80  up or down, it is stored away. 
   The Stop Block 
     FIGS. 77A through 77D  show a stop block  130 , as depicted in FIG.  1 B. As has already been explained, the stop block  130  is secured to the tilt bar  80  to limit the upward travel of the hand control  90  on the tilt bar  80 , so that the hand control  80  cannot be pushed up beyond the point where the shutter blind  10  is fully lowered, which could cause the lift cords  12  to loop out of their pulleys. The stop block  130  may also be used as a stop for the provisional lift attachment  170  (as shown in  FIG. 5B ) in order to limit how far down the bottom louver  21  is allowed to go. 
   The stop block  130  is essentially a rectangular block having a front side  1302 , a rear side  1304 , a top side  1306 , a bottom side  1308 , a right side  1310 , and a left side  1312 . The top side  1306  slopes down gradually from the front side  1302  to the rear side  1304 . Halfway between the right side  1310  and the left side  1312 , and along the rear side  1304 , there is a notched out section  1314  (See FIG.  77 C), designed so that a screwdriver may be inserted in the notch  1314  to pry the stop block  130  loose from the tilt bar  80 . Halfway between the right side  1310  and the left side  1312 , and along the front side  1302 , there is a second notched out section  1316 , with a hole  1317  (See FIG.  77 A), designed to receive a locking pin  910 , which is identical to the locking pin  910  of the cam-lock hand control  90  (See FIGS.  58 A and  58 B). This locking pin  910  serves the same purpose, to lock the stop block  130  in the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 . A U-shaped opening  1318  in the front side  1302  extends from the right side  1310  through to the left side  1312  and has a depth extending substantially across the block  130  towards the rear side of the block  130 . This U-shaped opening  1318  gives the block  130  some flexibility, so it may compress in order to snap into place in the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80 , and it also provides a passageway for the routing of the lift cords  12  to and from the hand control  90  and the top end cap  70 , so that the lift cords  12  may remain within the cavity  824  of the tilt bar  80  at all times. 
   The Bottom Rail Insert 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1B ,  5 B,  80  and  80 A, the bottom rail insert  110  is a transparent piece which very closely resembles, in its profile, the air foil shape of the head rail  20 , except that most of the bottom section of the profile, roughly corresponding to the section between the two bottom internal ribs  206  in the head rail  20 , is removed. This insert  110  has no internal ribs, and the edges  1102  are relatively sharp but rounded, and continuous except for notches  1104  (roughly corresponding to the notches  210  on the head rail  20 ), whose purpose will be explained later. The insert is of substantially the same length as the length of the bottom louver  21 . 
   The insert  110  is typically inserted in the bottom-most louver  14  to effectively convert it into a bottom rail  21 , as shown in FIG.  1 A. The insert  110  adds weight to the bottom louver  21 , and it adds rigidity to the bottom louver  21 , so that other items may be incorporated into the shutter blind assembly, such as the provisional lift  170  (See  FIG. 5A ) and the cord anchors  120 , as will be described in more detail later. Since the insert is transparent, it does not affect the translucency of the louver  21 , such that the louver  21  looks no different than the rest of the louvers  14  in the shutter blind  10 D, despite having the enhanced physical characteristics imparted by the addition of the insert  110 . 
   The Provisional Lift 
   The lift assembly  10 D, shown in  FIGS. 5A-C , has no lift cords and no hand control  90  to raise or lower the blind. Instead, it uses a provisional lift  170 . The provisional lift  170  includes a lift clip  1702  (See  FIGS. 78A ,  78 B,  78 C) and a lift tab  1704  (See  FIGS. 79A , through  79 E). In this case, in order to raise and lower the blind, the operator physically lifts and lowers the bottom-most louver  21  and locks it in place on the tilt bars  80  where desired. The balance of the louvers  14  stack on top of the bottom-most louver  21  when the blind is raised, or unstack and hang suspended from the tilt cables  16  when the blind is lowered. The lift clip  1702  is attached to the bottom-most louver  21 . The lift tab  1704  is mounted for sliding engagement on the tilt bar  80 , and the lift clip  1702  and lift tab  1704  are connected together. When the lift tab  1704  is released, it automatically locks onto the tilt bar  80 , as will be described shortly. 
   The lift clip  1702  includes a long, flexible bridging span  1706  with first and second ends  1708 ,  1710 . The bridging span  1703  is designed to wrap around the bottom of the bottom louver  21 , and the ends  1708 ,  1710  are designed to clip over the front and rear edges of the bottom louver  21  to retain the lift clip  1702  on the bottom louver  21 . Each of the ends  1708 ,  1710  has two inwardly-projecting, spaced-apart fingers. The profile of the bridging span  1706  is shaped very much like the missing arc of the rail insert  110  described earlier, and this allows some flexibility to straighten the arc in order to snap the two fingers  1712  of each end around the insert-stiffened louver  21 , such that the rounded ends  1102  of the insert  110  come to rest in U-shaped indentations  1714  at the ends  1708 ,  1710  of the clip  1702 . The first end  1708  of the clip  1702  also has two outwardly-directed arms  1716  projecting away from the U-shaped indentation  1714 , and these two arms  1716  have horizontally oriented holes  1718 , used for hingedly securing the lift clip  1702  to the lift tab  1704 , as will be described shortly. The second end  1710  of the lift clip  1702  has a vertically oriented hole  1720  used for routing lift cords  12  through the clip  1702 . 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 79A , through  79 E, the provisional lift tab  1704  includes a flat handle tab  1722 , which functions as a handle for the user to grab in order to raise or lower the blind stack. The handle tab  1722  has a front edge  1724 , a rear edge  1726 , a right edge  1728 , and a left edge  1730 . Near the right rear quarter of the flat handle tab  1722 , a tilt bar attachment tab  1732  projects from the handle tab  1722 , and this tilt bar attachment tab  1732  also has a front edge  1734 , a rear edge  1736 , a right edge  1738 , and a left edge  1740 . This tilt bar attachment tab  1732  is partially offset rearwardly from the flat handle tab  1722 , and is connected only partially along its left edge  1740  to the right edge  1728  of the handle tab  1722 , such that an L-shaped slotted opening  1742  is defined between these two tabs  1722 ,  1732  (See FIG.  79 D). This “L”-shaped slotted opening  1742  matches very closely with the leg  808  and the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80  as shown in  FIG. 79E , so that the lift tab  1704  is received in the recess  824  of the tilt bar  80  and wraps around the tilt bar  80 , so that the lift tab  1704  may slide up and down along the length of the tilt bar  80  as long as the plane of the lift tab  1704  is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar  80 . However, if the lift tab  1704  is tilted slightly either up or down, so that the plane of the tab  1704  is no longer substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar  80 , then the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80  engages against the inside surface of the “L”-shaped slotted opening  1742 , locking the lift tab  1704  in place. 
   In order to connect the lift tab  1704  to the lift clip  1702 , a hole  1744  (See  FIG. 79C ) extends through the offset rear edge  1736  of the lift tab&#39;s tilt bar attachment tab  1732 , from the right edge  1738  to the left edge  1740 . The offset rear edge  1736  of the tilt bar attachment tab  1732  fits between the two arms  1716  at the first end  1708  of the lift clip  1702 . The hole  1744  in the lift tab  1704  lines up with the holes  1718  in the lift clip  1702 , so that a pin extends through the aligned holes  1718 , 1744  to hingedly secure the lift clip  1702  to the lift tab  1704 . 
   Referring briefly to  FIG. 79F , to use the provisional lift  170 , the lift clip  1702  is snapped onto the insert-stiffened louver  21  as has already been described, the lift clip  1702  and the lift tab  1704  are hingedly connected via a pin through the aligned holes  1744 ,  1718 , and the lift tab  1704  is inserted into the tilt bar  80  such that the leg  808  and the wall extension  820  of the tilt bar  80  ride inside the “L”-shaped slot  1742  of the lift tab  1704 . When the provisional lift  170  is not being manually lifted, the weight of the insert-stiffened louver  21  pushes the tab  1704  down at its rear edge  1736  (As shown in FIG.  79 F), so that the plane of the lift tab  1704  is no longer substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar  80 , thereby causing the lift tab  1704  to lock in place onto the tilt bar  80 . If the user grabs the handle tab portion  1722  of the lift tab  1704 , and raises it just enough to counter the downward force exerted by the weight of the bottom rail  21 , so that the plane of the lift tab  1704  is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tilt bar  80 , then the provisional lift unlocks and the bottom louver  21  may be raised or lowered as desired. However, as soon as the handle tab  1722  is released, the weight of the bottom louver  21  immediately pushes down on the rear edge  1736  of the lift tab  1732  and the provisional lift once again locks in place on the tilt bar  80  at its new location. 
   The Cord Anchor 
     FIGS. 81A and 81B  show greater detail of the cord anchor  120  depicted in FIG.  1 A.  FIGS. 82A-F  also show the steps that are taken to insert the cord anchor  120  onto a bottom louver  21 . The cord anchor  120  is used to secure the lift cords  12  and the tilt cables  16  to the insert-stiffened bottom-most louver  21 , which is thus acting as a bottom rail  21 . 
   The cord anchor  120  is a long piece with a triangular profile, having a first end  1202  and a second end  1204  and three sides  1208 ,  1210 ,  1212 . Halfway between the two ends  1202 ,  1204  is a rectangular extension  1206  projecting from two of the sides  1208 ,  1210  of the cord anchor  120 . Two holes  1214  extend through the cord anchor  120 , perpendicular to the third side  1212  of the cord anchor  120 , extending through the extension  1206 . The longitudinal dimension of the cord anchor  120  is considerably larger than its width or its height. The cord anchor  120  preferably is made from a transparent material so that, like the bottom rail insert  110 , it does not affect the translucent quality of the bottom rail  21  when the cord anchor  120  is installed in the bottom rail  21 . 
     FIGS. 82A through 82F  show the installation procedure for mounting the cord anchor  120  onto the insert-stiffened louver  21 . In  FIG. 82A , the louver  21  is shown with the insert  110  shown mostly in phantom inside the louver  21 . The notch  1104  on the insert  110  is still covered over by the louver  21 . 
   In  FIG. 82B , a knife  1216  is used to cut a slit  1218  on the edge of the louver  21  corresponding to the location where the notch  1104  is located. The lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  are inserted through the holes  1214  in the cord anchor  120  as shown in  FIG. 82C , such that the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16  exit on the side  1212  of the cord anchor  120  opposite the extension  1206 . Knots  1220  are tied on the free ends of the lift cord  12  and the tilt cable  16 , as shown in  FIG. 82D , so that these cords  12 ,  16  may not be pulled back out of the cord anchor  120 . 
   Also as shown in  FIG. 82D , the cord anchor  120  is aligned with one of its narrow ends  1204  facing the notch  1104 . The cord anchor  120  is then slid lengthwise through the slit  1218  and the notch  1104 , until it is inside the louver  21 . The notch  1104  and the slit  1218  are larger than the height and the width dimensions of the cord anchor  120 , but smaller than the length dimension of the cord anchor  120 . Once the cord anchor  120  with the cords  12 ,  16  is inside the louver  21 , a slight tug on the cords  12 ,  16  brings the extension  1206  of the cord anchor  120  back to the notch  1104 , aligning the longitudinal dimension of the cord anchor  120  with the longitudinal dimension of the louver  21 , so that the cord anchor  120  is unable to pop back out through the notch  1104 , as shown in FIG.  82 E.  FIG. 82F  shows a portion of the bottom louver  21  suspended from the ladder tapes  18  and the lift cords  12  which have been secured to the louver  21  via the cord anchors  120 . 
   While several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is not possible to describe all the possible variations and combinations that could be made within the scope of the present invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.