Tape tension sensing apparatus

Claim 1

A TAPE TRANSPORT COMPRISING A REEL FOR STORING TAPE WOUND ON THE REEL, MEANS FOR APPLYING A CONTROLLABLE TORQUE TO THE REEL IN EITHER DIRECTION, MEANS ENGAGING THE TAPE FOR DRIVING THE TAPE AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED, A GUIDE MEMBER ENGAGING THE TAPE ADJACENT THE REEL, THE TAPE PASSING AROUND A PORTION OF THE GUIDE MEMBER SO AS TO CHANGE DIRECTION AS THE TAPE PASSES BETWEEN THE REEL AND THE TAPE DRIVING MEANS, THE TAPE PATH VARYING OVER AN ANGLE BETWEEN THE REEL AND THE GUIDE MEMBER AS THE AMOUNT OF TAPE ON THE REEL CHANGES BETWEEN FULL AND EMPTY, MEANS MOVABLY SUPPORTING THE GUIDE MEMBER, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS CONSTRAINING THE MOVEMENT OF THE GUIDE MEMBER ALONG A PATH LYING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A LINE BISECTING SAID ANGLE, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUPPORTING MEANS FOR URGING THE GUIDE MEANS ALONG SAID PATH IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE REEL, SAID LAST-NAMED MEANS CHANGING THE URGING FORCE ON THE GUIDE MEMBER WITH CHANGES IN POSITION OF THE GUIDE MEMBER IN OPPOSITION TO THE FORCE PRODUCED ON THE GUIDE MEMBER BY THE TAPE, WHEREBY THE POSITION OF THE GUIDE MEMBER IS CONTROLLED BY THE TENSION IN THE TAPE, MEANS FOR SENSING THE POSITION OF THE GUIDE MEMBER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SENSING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TORQUE APPLYING MEANS TO ADJUST THE TAPE TENSION.