Self-threading tape mechanism

Claim 1

A MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER COMPRISING A MAGNETIC HEAD, A SPINDLE FOR A MAGNETIC TAPE CARTRIDGE, A MAGNETIC TAPE CARTRIDGE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A STRUCTURE WHICH IS FIXED AGAINST CONTINUED ROTATION WHEN TAPE IS WITHDRAWN THEREFROM OR WOUND THEREON, A STORAGE REEL, A FLEXIBLE RESILIENT LEADER ATTACHED AT ONE END OF SAID STORAGE REEL, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID LEADER HAVING A TAPE COUPLING ELEMENT ATTACHED THERETO, SAID TAPE COUPLING ELEMENT HAVING A HOOK AT A FREE END THEREOF, MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING SAID LEADER BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN SAID STORAGE REEL AND A POSITION PROXIMATE TO SAID FIXED CARTRIDGE STRUCTURE MEANS FOR STOPPING SAID LEADER TRANSPORTING MEANS AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THE COUPLING ELEMENT ON SAID LEADER REACHES SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION PROXIMATE TO SAID STRUCTURE, MEANS RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID COUPLING ELEMENT AT SAID PREDETERMINED PROXIMATE POSITION AT A PREDETERMINED ANGLE RELATIVE TO SAID TAPE CARTRIDGE STRUCTURE, CARTRIDGE POSITIONING MEANS LOCATED ADJACENT TO SAID SPINDLE FOR HOLDING SAID CARTRIDGE ON SAID SPINDLE TO DETERMINING FIRST AND SECOND DISTINCT POSITIONS BETWEEN WHICH SAID FIXED CARTRIDGE STRUCTURE MAY BE ROTATED WHILE SAID CARTRIDEG IS ON SAID SPINDLE, IN SAID FIRST POSITION A COMPLEMENTARY COUPLING ELEMENT ON THE FREE END OF THE TAPE ON SAID CARTRIDGE BEING LOCATED TO ONE SIDE AND SHORT OF THE HOOKED END ON SAID LEADER COUPLING ELEMENT, IN THE SECOND POSITION THE COUPLING ELEMENT OF SAID CARTRIDGE BEING LOCATED IN THE PATH FOLLOWED BY THE HOOKED END OF THE COUPLING ELEMENT ON SAID LEADER AS SAID LEADER COUPLING ELEMENT IS DRAWN TOWARD SAID STORAGE REEL, AND OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS ON SAID FIXED CARTRIDGE STRUCTURE, AND OPERATING MEANS CAUSING SAID LOCKING MEANS TO MOVE TO A LOCKING POSITION WHEN SAID CARTRIDGE IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION AND TO A RELEASE POSITION WHEN SAID CARTRIDGE IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION, WHEREBY WHEN SAID FIXED CARTRIDGE STRUCTURE IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION AND SAID LEADER IS MOVED IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID STORAGE REEL ITS COUPLING ELEMENT WILL HOOK ONTO SAID COMPLEMENTARY COUPLING ELEMENT SO AS TO DRAW TAPE FROM SAID CARTRIDGE PAST SAID HEAD TO SAID STORAGE REEL.