Patent ID: 6964291

Claim:
A headrail suitable for use with a roller shade or a blind of the type having at least two spaced apart lift cords, the headrail comprised of: a. an elongated body having a bottom, a front side, a first end and a second end, the bottom and the front side attached to and extending between the first end and the second end, the bottom having a selected number of holes through which a lift cord may pass; b. a roller attached to the first end and the second end of the elongated body in a manner to permit rotation of the roller and prevent movement of the roller in a longitudinal direction, the roller having a longitudinal flute and an outer surface free of threads and projections that would cause wrinkling of roller shade material wrapped about the roller; and c. a plurality of cord collection spools, each cord collection spool having an attachment position for a lift cord and a longitudinal bore through which the roller passes, the roller and the spools being sized and configured so that: rotation of the roller will rotate the cord collection spools, the cord collection spools are moveable relative to the roller in a longitudinal direction, the cord collection spools can be slid off at least one end of the roller; and each of the plurality of cord collection spools has a recess adjacent the longitudinal bore of that cord collection spool and further comprising a ball bearing for each cord collection spool, each ball bearing positioned within the recess of a cord collection spool and also positioned within the longitudinal flute; wherein each cord collection spool is positioned adjacent to one hole of the selected number of holes in the bottom of the headrail.