Patent ID: 7779886

Claim:
A control mechanism for a Venetian blind comprising a plurality of slats suspended from a headrail by lift cords, said control mechanism comprising a hollow rod articulated to the headrail and accommodating said lift cords extending to a lead bar coaxially displaceable within the rod and an elevation assembly manipulable by an actuator slidingly received over the rod; and engaged with the lead bar such that upward displacing of the actuator entails lowering of the slats and downwards displacing of the actuator entails raising of the slats, said elevation assembly further comprising a friction mechanism for arresting the slats at any respective elevation, wherein the friction mechanism comprises a friction member axially displaceable over a tapering portion of the lead bar, between an unlocked position in which the friction member is shrunken and is free to slide within the rod, and a locked position in which the friction member is expanded and frictionally arrested within the rod.