Miniature tape recorder

Claim 2

A pocket size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis including opposite faces mounted in the casing; a slidable switch button extending from a longitudinal sidewall of the casing and mounted on one face of the chassis so as to move in a longitudinal direction of the casing, said slidable switch button being supported for selectively assuming a recordingreproducing position, a fast-feeding position, and a rewinding position; a record-reproduction pushbutton extending from the sidewall of the casing and mounted on the opposite face of the chassis so as to be movable at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the casing, said record-reproducing pushbutton including a recording-reproduction magnetic head and a lever both integrally secured thereto; and a lever plate secured to the slidable switch button and having a T-shaped slot including an axially extending straight portion and a perpendicularly extending notch, said lever having a projection slidably fitted in said T-shaped slot of the lever plate in such a manner that only when the slidable switcH button is at the recordingreproducing position, the record-reproduction pushbutton can be depressed while causing said projection to move along said perpendicular notch, for bringing the recording-reproducing head in operative contact with a magnetic tape for recording and reproducing sound signals thereon.

Claim 3

A pocket-size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted in the casing; a record-reproduction pushbutton mounted on a sidewall of the casing so as to be movable at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the casing, the pushbutton including a recording-reproducing magnetic head and a lever both integrally secured thereto; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis and lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis to bias the cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a nose formed on said lever of the pushbutton; and a stopper lug issuing downwards from the lower surface of the cassette receiving plate at a position engageable with said nose in such a manner that the depression of the record-reproduction pushbutton is prevented by the engagement of the nose and the stopper lug and permitted when the cassette receiving plate is at said raised position and at said lowered position with the cassette mounted properly on the tape recorder.

Claim 4

A pocket-size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted in the casing; a record-reproduction pushbutton mounted on a sidewall of the casing so as to be movable at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the casing, the pushbutton including a recording-reproducing magnetic head and a lever both integrally secured thereto; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis and lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis to bias the cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a nose formed on said lever of the pushbutton; and a stopper lug issuing downwards from the lower surface of the cassette receiving plate at a position engageable with said nose in such a manner that the depression of the record-reproduction pushbutton is prevented by the engagement of the nose and the stopper lug and permitted when the cassette receiving plate is at said raised position and at said lowered position with the cassette mounted properly on the tape recorder.

Claim 5

A pocket-size size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted on the sidewall of the casing at one side of the chassis so as to be movable at right angles to the axial direction of the casing, the pushbutton including a recording-reproducing magnetic head and a lever both integrally secured thereto; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis and a lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis for biasing said cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a swingable lever pivotally secured to the chassis and having a notch engageable with said cassette receiving plate when the plate is at said lowered position against the elasticity of said spring, the swingable lever being resiliently biased in such a direction as to keep said notch in engagement with the chassis receiving plate; a cassette knockout button secured to said swingable lever and actuatable from the outside of the casing for turning the swingable lever against said resilient bias force, so as to disengage said notch from said cassette receiving plate for causing the cassette receiving plate to displace away from said lowered position by the elasticity of said spring; a lug formed at one end of said lever of the record-reproduction pushbutton; a slidable piece including a pin and a cam surface and mounted on the chassis so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the movement of said record-reproducing pushbutton, said slidable piece being biased toward a nonactuated position by a spring inserted between said slidable piece and the chassis and movable to an actuated position upon depression of said record-reproduction pushbutton by the engagement between said cam surface of said slidable piece and said lug of said lever; and a projection included on the cassette knockout button which projection is engageable with said pin of the slidable piece when said slidable piece is at said actuated position so as to prevent the depression of said knockout button, and being unengageable with said pin of the slidable piece when said slidable piece is at said nonactuated position.

Claim 6

A pocket-size size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted on the sidewall of the casing at one side of the chassis so as to be movable at right angles to the axial direction of the casing, the pushbutton including a recording-reproducing magnetic head and a lever both integrally secured thereto; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis and a lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis for biasing said cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a swingable lever pivotally secured to the chassis and having a notch engageable with said cassette receiving plate when the plate is at said lowered position against the elasticity of said spring, the swingable lever being resiliently biased in such a direction as to keep said notch in engagement with the chassis receiving plate; a cassette knockout button secured to said swingable lever and actuatable from the outside of the casing for turning the swingable lever against said resilient bias force, so as to disengage said notch from said cassette receiving plate for causing the cassette receiving plate to displace away from said lowered position by the elasticity of said spring; a lug formed at one end of said lever of the record-reproduction pushbutton; a slidable piece including a pin and a cam surface and mounted on the chassis so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the movement of said record-reproducing pushbutton, said slidable piece being biased toward a nonactuated position by a spring inserted between said slidable piece and the chassis and movable to an actuated position upon depression of said record-reproduction pushbutton by the engagement between said cam surface of said slidable piece and said lug of said lever; and a projection included on the cassette knockout button which projection is engageable with said pin of the slidable piece when said slidable piece is at said actuated position so as to prevent the depression of said knockout button, and being unengageable with said pin of the slidable piece when said slidable piece is at said nonactuated position.

Claim 7

A pocket-size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted in the casinG; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis an a lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis to bias the cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a swingable lever pivotally secured to the chassis and having a notch engageable with said cassette receiving plate when the plate is at said lowered position, the swingable lever being resiliently biased in such a direction as to keep said notch in engagement with the chassis receiving plate; a cassette knockout button secured to said swingable lever an being actuatable from the outside of the casing for turning the swingable lever against said resilient bias force, so as to disengage said notch from the cassette receiving plate for causing the cassette receiving plate to displace away from said lowered position by the elasticity of said spring; a slidable switch button mounted on a sidewall of the casing so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the casing, said switch button having a projection and selectively assuming a recording-reproducing position, a fast-feeding position, and a rewinding position; a sliding member slidably mounted on the chassis and having a notch; a lug integrally formed with said cassette knockout button, the lug being engageable with said notch of the sliding member; a projection integrally formed with said swingable lever; and an interlink lever pivotally secured to the chassis, one end of the interlink lever operatively engaging said projection of the slidable switch button and the opposite end of the interlink lever operatively engaging said projection of the swingable lever, such that the interlink lever causes said slidable switch button to occupy alternately three different positions corresponding to said rewinding position, recording-reproducing position, and fast-feeding position of said slidable switch button, wherein said notch of the sliding member receives said lug of the cassette knockout button for allowing the depression of said knockout button only when said slidable switch button is at said recording-reproducing position.

Claim 8

A pocket-size tape recorder comprising: a flat elongated casing capable of being held in one hand of an operator; a chassis mounted in the casinG; a cassette receiving plate movable between a raised position away from said chassis an a lowered position, depending on whether a cassette is absent or present in the tape recorder, respectively; a spring means inserted between said cassette receiving plate and said chassis to bias the cassette receiving plate toward the raised position; a swingable lever pivotally secured to the chassis and having a notch engageable with said cassette receiving plate when the plate is at said lowered position, the swingable lever being resiliently biased in such a direction as to keep said notch in engagement with the chassis receiving plate; a cassette knockout button secured to said swingable lever an being actuatable from the outside of the casing for turning the swingable lever against said resilient bias force, so as to disengage said notch from the cassette receiving plate for causing the cassette receiving plate to displace away from said lowered position by the elasticity of said spring; a slidable switch button mounted on a sidewall of the casing so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction of the casing, said switch button having a projection and selectively assuming a recording-reproducing position, a fast-feeding position, and a rewinding position; a sliding member slidably mounted on the chassis and having a notch; a lug integrally formed with said cassette knockout button, the lug being engageable with said notch of the sliding member; a projection integrally formed with said swingable lever; and an interlink lever pivotally secured to the chassis, one end of the interlink lever operatively engaging said projection of the slidable switch button and the opposite end of the interlink lever operatively engaging said projection of the swingable lever, such that the interlink lever causes said slidable switch button to occupy alternately three different positions corresponding to said rewinding position, recording-reproducing position, and fast-feeding position of said slidable switch button, wherein said notch of the sliding member receives said lug of the cassette knockout button for allowing the depression of said knockout button only when said slidable switch button is at said recording-reproducing position.

Claim 9

A pocket-size tape recorder according to claim 4 and further comprising; a driving means including a motor swingably mounted on the chassis, a flywheel pivotally mounted on the chassis, a capstan coaxially secured to the flywheel, a rotary shaft driven by the motor through a pulley and having three frictional wheels mounted thereon, and reel drive discs having reel drive shafts and selectively engageable with one of said three frictional wheels; a pinch roller movably mounted on the chassis so as to drivingly hold the magnetic tape between the pinch roller and the capstan upon actuation of the tape recorder; and a stop pushbutton secured to a stop lever slidable on the chassis, said stop lever being operatively connected to the motor in such a manner that, upon depression of said stop pushbutton, the stop lever swings back said motor to disengage said drive shaft from said flywheel and remove said pinch roller from said capstan.

Claim 10

A pocket-size tape recorder according to claim 5 wherein said motor is a DC miniature motor including power feeding lead wires, which are wound on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and a shield case mounted on the motor so as to cover said lead wires wound on the motor.