Magnetic tape system

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR GUIDING A MAGNETIC TAPE PAST READWRITE MEANS, TAPE GUIDING ELEMENTS HAVING PARALLEL CURVED WALLS WHICH TOGETHER DEFINE AN UNDULATING PATH WHOSE WALLS ARE PARALLEL TO THE TAPE SURFACES AS THE TAPE MOVES, THE WALL ON ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH ADJACENT TO THE BACK SURFACE OF THE TAPE BEING FORMED WITH APERTURES WHICH OPEN ONTO TWO CONCAVE SHAPED REGIONS OF THE PATH AND WHICH COMMUNICATE WITH INLET MEANS TO WHICH A VACUUM MAY BE APPLIED, AND THE WALL ON THE SAME SIDE OF SAID PATH ADJACENT TO THE BACK SURFACE OF THE TAPE BEING FORMED WITH APERTURES WHICH OPEN ON A CONVEX SHAPED REGIONS OF THE PATH BETWEEN THE TWO CONCAVE SHAPED REGIONS THEREOF AND OPPOSITE SAID READ-WRITE MEANS AND WHICH COMMUNICATE WITH SECOND INLET MEANS AND WHICH COMPRESSED AIR MAY BE APPLIED; MEANS COUPLED TO SAID FIRST INLET MEANS FOR DRAWING AIR FROM THE PATH INTO THE APERTURES COUPLED TO SAID FIRST INLET MEANS FOR CAUSING THE TAPE TO ENGAGE THE WALL CONTAINING SAID APERTURES AS THE TAPE IS DRIVEN ALONG SAID PATH; AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SECOND INLET MEANS FOR APPLYING COMPRESSED AIR TO THE TAPE AS THE TAPE DRIVEN ALONG SAID PATH FOR FORCING THE TAPE TOWARD SAID READWRITE MEANS.