Patent ID: 7654301

Claim:
A venetian blind for covering large window panels comprising: a plurality of parallel elongated slats, each said slat having front and rear longitudinally extending edge portions connected by a main portion, where each of said edge portions comprises a first portion extending laterally relative to the main portion and an opposing second portion forming a space therebetween, said edge portions being furthermore provided with a gap, through which said gap said space is accessible from outside, a width of said gap being less than a maximum distance between said first and second portions, and an attachment member for each said front and rear edge portions, each said attachment member being formed for insertion through said gap into said space for engagement with the boundaries of said space such that the attachment member does not penetrate the slat, and each said attachment member comprising a central loop portion a) connected to a first leg portion lying substantially in a plane of the central loop portion and b) connected to second and third leg portions lying in a plane forming an angle relative to the plane of the central loop portion and the first leg portion; at least two pairs of tilt cords for releasable attachment to said front and rear edge portions of the slats by use of said attachment members in the slats; at least two pairs of lift cords running substantially parallel with said tilt cords and attached to the lowermost of said slats; a lift mechanism including at least one tubular member mounted for rotation always with and axial displacement over a drive shaft, at least one associated guide for maintaining the lift cords in a proper axial position and for directing the lift cords to an outer circumferential surface of said tubular member, whereby the lift cords upon rotation of said tubular member are helically wound on or off the circumferential surface of the tubular member resulting in the slats being raised or lowered as the tubular member rotates; and a tilt mechanism including at least one cylindrical tilt house provided coaxially about the drive shaft for co-rotation always therewith the helically wound portion of the lift cord being located between the tubular member and the tilt house, at least one tilt member provided around the outer circumferential surface of the tilt house and following the rotation of the tilt house due to friction between the tilt member and the tilt house, a stop provided on the tilt member which limits the rotation of the tilt member over a predetermined angular range by being brought into contact with corresponding stationary abutments, whereby said tilt cords are wound around said tilt member so that rotation of the tilt member in one direction makes one tilt cord of a given pair of tilt cords unwind from the tilt member and the other tilt cord of the given pair of tilt cords wind upon the tilt member.