Patent ID: 6964509

Claim:
A task light assembly comprising: a long elongate flexible fiber optic element having opposite light inlet and light outlet ends; a light source at the light inlet end of said fiber optic element; and means for supporting said light source and said light inlet end of said fiber optic element and for allowing movement of said fiber optic element between a storage position with the light outlet end of said fiber optic element supported in a storage position, and an extended use position with the light outlet end of said fiber optic element at a work location remote from said storage position, said means for supporting said light source and said light inlet end of said fiber optic element and for allowing movement of said fiber optic element between said storage and use positions comprising a reel assembly, said reel assembly; including a hub, means for supporting said hub on a support member, and a reel rotateably mounted on said hub, said reel having a generally cylindrical periphery with a diameter of at least 12 inches or 30.5 cm, said light source and said light inlet end of said fiber optic element being mounted on said reel assembly, over 80 percent of the length of said fiber optic element being coiled around the periphery of said reel in said storage position, and said reel assembly including (1) means for biasing said reel for rotation in a first direction during which rotation said fiber optic element can be wound around the periphery of said reel; (2) means for allowing rotation of said reel in a second direction to unwind said fiber optic element from around the periphery of said reel against said means for biasing; and (3) releasable retaining means between said hub and said reel for releasably retaining said reel at one of a plurality of locations with respect to said hub in opposition to said means for biasing, said releasable retaining means being engageable and releasable by applying and releasing tension along said fiber optic element.