Sound recording and reproducing apparatus

Claim 1

IN SOUND REPRODUCING AND RECORDING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CAPSTAN FOR MOVING A TAPE THROUGH SAID APPARATUS, MEANS DRIVING SAID CAPSTAN, AND A PRESSURE ROLLER FOR PRESSING SAID TAPE AGAINST SAID CAPSTAN, THE IMPROVED MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID PRESSURE ROLLER WHICH COMPRISES A SUPPORT, A THIN STRIP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL FORMING A HINGE FIXED TO SAID SUPPORT, AN ARM HAVING ONE END FIXED TO SAID THIN STRIP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL, MEANS MOUNTING SAID PRESSURE ROLLER ON SAID ARM, U-SHAPED SPRING MEANS, A FIXED MOUNTING, MEANS ATTACHING ONE END OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO SAID FIXED MOUNTING AND MEANS ATTACHING THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO THE OTHER END OF SAID ARM, SAID SPRING OPERATING IN AN OVER-CENTER MANNER SO THAT WHEN SAID ARM IS SWUNG ABOUT SAID FLEXIBLE STRIP AWAY FROM SAID CAPSTAN, SAID ROLLER IS HELD BY SAID SPRING AWAY FROM SAID CAPSTAN AND WHEN SAID ARM IS SWUNG IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION, SAID SPRING MOVES PAST A DEAD-CENTER POSITION AND HOLDS SAID ROLLER IN CONTACT WITH SAID CAPSTAN, SAID HINGE FORMED BY SAID THIN STRIP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ALLOWING SAID ARM, IN ADDITION TO SWINGING IN THE PLANE OF SAID ROLLER, TO TWIST SLIGHTLY SO THAT SAID ROLLER CAN ROCK TO A LIMITED EXTENT ABOUT AN AXIS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO ITS AXIS OF ROTATION TO ALIGN SAID SURFACE OF SAID ROLLER WITH THAT OF SAID CAPSTAN AND ALLOW SAID SPRING TO CAUSE SAID ROLLER TO EXERT AN EVEN PRESSURE ACROSS THE WHOLE WIDTH OF SAID TAPE.