Sliding holder having flexible cable support

1. A device comprising:

a support;

a first slide element slidably mounted on the support and shiftable in a first direction from a retracted position to an extended position relative to the support; and

a flexible member having first and second ends and a central portion, the first end being attached to the first slide element, the second end being fixedly mounted to the support, and the central portion projecting away from the first and second ends in a second direction, the second end remaining fixed to the support and the first end moving with the first slide element when the first slide element is shifted from the retracted position to the extended position.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible member comprises a band.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the band is resilient.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the support includes first and second spaced support elements, wherein the first slide element is slidably mounted to the first support element and the second end of the band is mounted to the second support element, and including a second slide element slidably mounted to the second support element.

5. The device of claim 4 , including a platform connected to the first and second slide elements and movable with the first and second slide elements.

6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the band has a rest shape when the band is not connected to the support or the first slide element, a retracted shape when the band is connected to the support and to the first slide element and the first slide element is in the refracted position, and an extended shape when the band is connected to the support and to the first slide element and the first slide element is in the extended position, wherein, when the first slide element is in the extended position, the band is configured to return toward the rest shape and pull the first slide element toward the retracted position.

7. The device of claim 2 including an electrical or optical component mounted to the first slide element and a plurality of optical fibers attached to and supported by the band and connected to the electrical or optical component.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of optical fibers include a first group of optical fibers and a second group of optical fibers, the first group of optical fibers being attached to the band so that the first group of optical fibers conforms to a curvature of the band for a first distance and the second group of optical fibers being attached to the band so that the second group of optical fibers conforms to the curvature of the band for a second distance greater than the first distance.

9. The device of claim 4 , wherein a first end portion of the band including the band first end overlies a portion of the first slide element and wherein a second end portion of the band including the band second end overlies a portion of the second support element.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the second support element and the first slide element each include a first band mounting location and a second band mounting location positioned such that when the band is mounted to the first slide element and to the second support element at the first band mounting locations the band overlies a greater area of the second support element and a greater area of the first slide element than when the band is mounted to the first slide element and to the second support element at the second band mounting locations.

11. The device of claim 2 , wherein the band has a rectangular cross section.

12. The device of claim 2 , wherein the band is formed from acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).

13. A device comprising:

a support;

a first slide element slidably mounted to the support and shiftable from a retracted position to an extended position relative to the support;

an electrical or optical component mounted to the first slide element;

optical fibers connected to the electrical or optical component; and

flexible mount means for supporting the optical fibers, the flexible mount means being connected between the first slide element and the support.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the flexible mount means has a first end attached to the first slide element and a second end fixedly attached to the support.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the flexible mount means comprises a resilient band.

16. A device comprising:

a support;

a shelf slidably mounted on the support and being shiftable in a first direction from a refracted position to an extended position relative to the support; and

a flexible band having first and second ends and a central portion, the first end being connected to the shelf, the second end being connected to the support and the central portion being spaced from and not overlying the shelf.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the support has a first side and a second side, the shelf has a first side at the first side of the support and a second side at the second side of the support and wherein the first end of the flexible band is connected to the first side of the shelf and the second end of the flexible band is connected to the second side of the support.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein the flexible band is resilient.

19. The device of claim 18 , including a electrical or optical component on the shelf and a plurality of electrical or optical cables connected to the electrical or optical component and to the resilient band.

20. The device of claim 13 , wherein the electrical or optical component is mounted to the first slide element via a shelf.