Operator for a slat shade assembly

Claim 1

A mechanism for operating a slat shade assembly of the type located between two glazing panels of a window sash construction, said mechanism comprising, in combination, a window sash frame, first and second glazing panels supported by said frame, said first glazing panel being removably mounted on said frame, a surface defined on said frame between said glazing panels, a slat shade assembly operatively carried by said frame between said glazing panels and being movable between first and second positions, a mechanism assembly having a coupling member operatively directly interconnected to a selected portion of one of said slat shades for moving said slat shade between said first and second positions, said mechanism assembly including a housing and a drive mechanism operatively mounted and completely contained within said housing, separate fastener means for securing said housing directly to a selected portion of said surface of said frame, said fastener means defining the sole means for sleectively mounting or removing said assembly to or from said frame, said drive mechanism including said coupling member, said drive mechanism including a gear train, said gear train being constructed and arranged for resisting undesired movement of said slat shade assembly following the positioning thereof, normally caused by spring action in said slat shade assembly, an opening in said first glazing panel adjacent said mechanism, a manual control member operatively mounted on said first glazing panel passing through said opening and having means for operative connection of said control member with said drive mechanism, said control member being accessible for manual operation from the exterior of the space defined between said glazing panels.