Magnetic tape drive mechanism and control therefor

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC TAPE DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A MAGNETIC RECORDING-REPRODUCING APPARATUS FOR ENDLESS MAGNETIC TAPE CARTRIDGES AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A CARTRIDGE SUPPORTING PANEL AGAINST WHICH THE CARTRIDGE IS TO BE MOVED ALONG AN AXIS PARALLELING THE PANEL TO A SELECTED CARTRIDGE STATION, A DRIVING CAPSTAN PROJECTED ABOVE SAID PANEL ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PANEL FOR ADVANCING MAGNETIC TAPE PRESSED THEREAGAINST ALONG A SELECTED PATH, A ROTATABLE MAIN SHAFT JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE CAPSTAN AXIS HAVING A STUB SHAFT PROJECTING RADIALLY THEREFROM SUPPORTING A PRESSURE ROLLER SPACED FROM SAID MAIN SHAFT, SOLENOID MEANS FOR IMPARTING ANGULAR MOVEMENT TO SAID MAIN SHAFT TO FULLY ROTATE SAID ROLLER AND STUB SHAFT THROUGH AN ARC BETWEEN SELECTED ANGULARLY SPACED POSITIONS DISPOSING SAID PRESSURE ROLLER AT A RETRACTED INOPERATIVE POSITION SPACED FROM SAID CAPSTAN AND BELOW SAID PANEL AND AN EXTENDED OPERATIVE POSITION WHEREIN THE PRESSURE ROLLER PRESSES THE TAPE AGAINST THE CAPSTAN, SAID PANEL HAVING AN OPENING ACCOMMODATING MOVEMENT THERETHROUGH OF SAID PRESSURE ROLLER BETWEEN SAID OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, RETURN SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MAIN SHAFT CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID MAIN SHAFT TO RETURN SAID PRESSURE ROLLER TO SAID INOPERATIVE POSITION BELOW SAID PANEL, SAID SOLENOID MEANS INCLUDING A RECTILINEARLY RECIPROCATIVE PLUNGER MOVABLE ALONG AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO AND SPACED FROM THE AXIS OF SAID MAIN SHAFT HAVING FOLLOWER ACTUATOR MEANS CARRIED ON SAID PLUNGER, GUIDE MEANS FOR RESTRICTING MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER TO A RECTILINEAR AXIS, FOLLOWER MEANS FIXED TO SAID SHAFT AND PROJECTING TRANSVERSELY THEREOF INTO CONTACT WITH SAID FOLLOWER ACTUATOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER TO SHIFT SAID SHAFT TO SELECTED ANGULAR POSITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER TO DISPOSE SAID PRESSURE ROLLER AT SAID INOPERATIVE AND OPERATIVE POSITIONS, AND ELECTRICAL SIGNALING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SOLENOID MEANS TO ADJUST THE SOLENOID PLUNGER TO SELECTED AXIALLY SPACED PLUNGER POSITIONS.