Apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals

Claim 1

An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals comprising a housing having an opening at the front through which a drawer is rectilinearly slidable in an outward direction and an inward direction relative to the housing and which has a part above the drawer which can be closed by a front cover which is pivotable relative to the housing between an open position and a closed position, the pivotal movement of the front cover during the sliding movement of the drawer being controlled by control means on the drawer, characterized in that the front cover comprises at least one side portion which extends rearwards from the front of the cover along the inner side of an adjacent side wall of the housing and which bears on a guide edge of the drawer in the open position and in the closed position of the cover, the control means on the drawer comprise an actuating projection and a reset projection which are situated near said side wall and of which the actuating projection adjoins a positioning edge of the control means, the actuating projection and the reset projection cooperate with a control element connected to said side portion of the front cover during the outward movement and the inward movement of the drawer to cause the front cover to be pivoted to the open position and the closed position respectively, the front cover being retained in the open position by the cooperation of the control element with the positioning edge.

Claim 2

An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing signals comprising a housing having an opening at the front through which a drawer is rectilinearly slidable in an outward direction and an inward direction relative to the housing and which has a part above the drawer which can be closed by a front cover which is pivotable relative to the housing between an open position and a closed position, the pivotal movement of the front cover during the sliding movement of the drawer being controlled by control means on the drawer, characterized in that the front cover comprises at least one side portion which extends rearwards from the front of the cover along the inner side of an adjacent side wall of the housing and which bears on a guide edge of the drawer in the open position and in the closed position of the cover, the control means on the drawer comprise an actuating projection and a reset projection which are situated near said side wall and of which the actuating projection adjoins a positioning edge of the control means, the actuating projection and the reset projection cooperate with a control element connected to said side portion of the front cover during the outward movement and the inward movement of the drawer to cause the front cover to be pivoted to the open position and the closed position respectively, the front cover being retained in the open position by the cooperation of the control element with the positioning edge.

Claim 5

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the control element is constituted by a two-armed control lever which is pivotally mounted on said side wall of the housing and is articulated to the side portion of the front cover at the end of a first arm of the lever and which cooperates with the control means at the free end of a second arm of the lever.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that viewed perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the drawer the side portion of the front cover has a curved edge extending between a first straight edge and a second straight edge in such a way that in the open position of the front cover the first straight edge rests on the guide edge of the drawer in the closed position of the cover the second straight edge rests on said guide edge, and during the pivotal movement of the cover between the open position and the closed position the curved edge rolls on the guide edge.

Claim 8

An apparatus as claimed in Claims 5 and 6, characterized in that viewed perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the drawer the side portion of the front cover has a substantially rhombic shape, the end of the first arm of the control lever being pivotally connected to the side portion of the cover near that end of the second straight edge which is remote from the first straight edge.