Patent ID: 7617859

Claim:
A top down/bottom up covering for an architectural opening comprising in combination: a generally cylindrical roller having at least one opening through a generally cylindrical wall thereof, a pair of end caps for supporting said roller for reversible rotation about a longitudinal axis, a reversibly rotatable drive member associated with said roller and a drive element for reversibly rotating said drive member to effect relative reversible rotation of said roller about said longitudinal axis, a flexible shade material having a top edge and a bottom edge, a top rail secured to said top edge of said shade material, a bottom rail secured to a bottom edge of said shade material, a first plurality of lift cords anchored at a top end to said roller and at a bottom end to said bottom rail, at least two reversibly rotatable spools mounted within said roller and operably connected to said drive member for selected rotation by said drive member, a second plurality of lift cords individually anchored at a top end to an associated one of said spools and at a bottom end to said top rail, whereby rotation of said roller in a first direction will cause said top rail to engage said roller and cause said flexible material to be wrapped around said roller and rotation of said roller in an opposite direction will unroll said flexible material from said roller allowing said bottom rail to drop and will thereafter allow said top rail to drop.