Patent ID: 7108216

Claim:
A retractable cord reel, comprising: a housing portion; a spool disposed within the housing portion and having an outer surface associated with an expansion chamber within the housing portion, an inner channel configured to hold a wound length of flat electrical cable and a passage extending between the outer surface and the inner channel; a raised portion extending from the outer surface of the spool, the raised portion including a first curved portion disposed adjacent a first side of the passage and a second curved portion disposed adjacent a second side of the passage opposite the first curved portion, the first curved portion having a first asymmetric radius profile and the second curved portion having a second asymmetric radius profile different than the first asymmetric radius profile; and a flat electrical cable having a first portion disposed in the expansion chamber, a second portion disposed in the inner channel, and a third portion disposed in the passage to follow a path from the outer surface of the spool to the inner channel, the spool being rotatable such that the second portion of the flat electrical cable is movable between an extended position and a retracted position to cause a first location on the first portion of the flat electrical cable to contact the first curved portion when the flat electrical cable is moved toward the extended position, and to cause a second location on the first portion of the flat electrical cable to contact the second curved portion when the flat electrical cable is moved toward the retracted position.