Magnetic tape recorder and reproducer

Claim 1

IN A MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER AND REPRODUCER HAVING A BASE PLATE AND TWO CARRIERS FOR TAPE SPOOLS ON PARALLEL AXES NORMAL TO THE BASE PLATE AND ROTATABLE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, BRAKING MEANS FOR THE SPOOL CARRIERS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LEVERS, SEPARATE PIVOTS FOR SAID LEVERS FIXED WITH REFERENCE TO THE BASE PLATE, SPRING MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID LEVERS TO BIAS THEM INTO BRAKE-ON POSITIONS, ABUTMENT SURFACES ON SAID LEVERS, A MOVABLE BAR FORMED AT ONE END WITH A SLOT EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LENGTH THEREOF, A HAND CONTROL PROVIDED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID BAR FOR EFFECTING MOVEMENT THEREOF, A FIXED PIVOT PIN EXTENDING INTO AND IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SLOT IN SAID BAR, A BRAKE-OPERATING ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A PROJECTION ON SAID BAR AT A POSITION BETWEEN THE TWO ENDS THEREOF AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES, SAID BAR BEING MOVABLE BY SAID HAND CONTROL IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LENGTH RELATIVELY TO SAID FIXED PIVOT PIN TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID PROJECTION IN A LINEAR PATH EXTENDING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM A NEUTRAL POSITION AND SAID BAR BEING PIVOTAL ON SAID PIVOT PIN TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID PROJECTION IN A PATH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO SAID LINEAR PATH IN SAID NEUTRAL POSITION, A FIRST PAIR OF SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES ON SAID LEVERS ENGAGEABLE BY SAID PROJECTION TO EFFECT SIMULTANEOUS ROCKING MOVEMENTS OF SAID LEVERS AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS FROM THE BRAKE-ON POSITIONS TO THE BRAKE-OFF POSITIONS ON MOVEMENT OF SAID PROJECTION AWAY FROM THE NEUTRAL POSITION IN THE TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING PATH, A SECOND PAIR OF SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES ON SAID LEVERS OFF-SET FROM ONE ANOTHER TO BE ENGAGEABLE SEQUENTIALLY BY SAID PROJECTION TO EFFECT SEQUENTIAL ROCKING MOVEMENTS OF SAID LEVERS FROM THE BRAKE-ON POSITIONS TO THE BRAKE-OFF POSITIONS ON MOVEMENT OF SAID PROJECTION IN THE LINEAR PATH IN ONE DIRECTION FROM SAID NEUTRAL POSITION AND A THIRD PAIR OF SAID ABUTMENT SURFACES ON SAID LEVERS OFF-SET FROM ONE ANOTHER TO BE ENGAGEABLE SEQUENTIALLY BY SAID PROJECTION TO EFFECT SEQUENTIAL ROCKING MOVEMENTS OF SAID LEVERS, IN A SEQUENCE WHICH IS THE REVERSE OF THE FIRST MENTIONED SEQUENTIAL ROCKING MOVEMENTS, FROM THE BRAKE-ON POSITIONS TO THE BRAKE-OFF POSITIONS ON MOVEMENT OF SAID PROJECTION IN THE LINEAR PATH IN THE OTHER DIRECTION FROM SAID NEUTRAL POSITION.