Patent ID: 8474507

Claim:
A system for limiting the size of a loop that can be formed in a flexible vertically extending lift cord in a covering for an architectural opening, the system comprising: a headrail, a bottom rail, a flexible pleated shade material extending between said headrail and said bottom rail, guide rings connected to said shade material at spaced locations, a plurality of lift cords interconnecting said headrail and said bottom rail and extending in closely adjacent relationships to said shade material between said headrail and said bottom rail, and a separate, elongated, flexible, open, substantially non-extensible protector associated with each lift cord and to which said associated lift cords are confined while passing in and out of its associated protector along the length of the protector so as to be at least partially exposed along their length, said protectors being operatively secured to said shade material at vertically spaced locations corresponding to said guide rings to establish a fixed length of said protectors extending from one location to the next adjacent location, said fixed length of said protectors limiting the size of a loop which can be formed in said protectors to a predetermined size, wherein said protector is disposed between at least a portion of said guide rings and said shade material, and wherein said guide rings are connected to said shade material through said protector to maintain said protector to said shade material.