Tape cartridge player with tuner cartridge

Claim 2

In combination with a tape player instrument of the type provided with a slot adapted to receive a tape cartridge and a magnetic pickup head for cooperatiOn with the tape in said cartridge, radio receiver means constructed in the form of a cartridge adapted to be received in the slot in the tape player, said radio receiver means having an output circuit including a coupling means, said coupling means coming into juxtaposition relative to the pickup head, to provide magnetic coupling therebetween, when the receiver means is inserted into said slot, whereby the radio reception is reproduced through the tape player.

Claim 3

For use with a tape player instrument of the type provided with a slot adapted to receive a tape cartridge, a magnetic pickup head for cooperation with the tape in said cartridge and a pair of normally disconnected contacts for cooperation with a conducting segment on said tape to interconnect said contacts and electrically energize a means for displacing said pickup head to cause the latter to scan another channel on said tape, apparatus comprising: electronic circuit means constructed in the form of a cartridge adapted to be received in the slot in the tape player, said electronic circuit means having a pair of power receiving contacts for engagement with respective ones of said pair of normally disconnected contacts when said electronic circuit means is in said slot, said electronic circuit means having means for receiving all its operating power through said power receiving contacts and including means for limiting the current drawn through said power receiving contacts to a value less than that required to cause said means for displacing to displace said pickup head, said electronic circuit means having an output circuit including coupling means, said coupling means coming into juxtaposition relative to the input of said tape player to electrically intercouple the latter input and said output circuit when the electronic circuit means is inserted into said slot, whereby sound signals are reproduced through the tape player while the electronic circuit means receives all its operating power through said pair of normally disconnected contacts when the electronic circuit means is inserted into said slot.

Claim 4

For use with a tape player instrument of the type provided with a slot adapted to receive a tape cartridge, a magnetic pickup head for cooperation with the tape in said cartridge and a pair of normally disconnected contacts for cooperation with a conducting segment on said tape to interconnect said contacts and electrically energize a means for displacing said pickup head to cause the latter to scan another channel on said tape, apparatus comprising: electronic circuit means constructed in the form of a cartridge adapted to be received in the slot in the tape player, said electronic circuit means having a pair of power receiving contacts for engagement with respective ones of said pair of normally disconnected contacts when said electronic circuit means is in said slot, said electronic circuit means having means for receiving all its operating power through said power receiving contacts and including means for limiting the current drawn through said power receiving contacts to a value less than that required to cause said means for displacing to displace said pickup head, said electronic circuit means having an output circuit including coupling means, said coupling means coming into juxtaposition relative to the input of said tape player to electrically intercouple the latter input and said output circuit when the electronic circuit means is inserted into said slot, whereby sound signals are reproduced through the tape player while the electronic circuit means receives all its operating power through said pair of normally disconnected contacts when the electronic circuit means is inserted into said slot.

Claim 5

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said electronic circuit means further includes rectifier means coupled to said power receiving contacts for providing operating DC power of the same predetermined polarity to the amplification and detection circuits of said electronic circuit means regardless of the relative polarity of the potential between said pair of power receiving contacts.

Claim 6

Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said electronic circuit means comprises a radio receiver.

Claim 7

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said electronic circuit means comprises a radio receiver.

Claim 8

For use with a tape player of the type having a magnetic pickup head: means to position a cartridge containing a magnetic tape relative to the magnetic pickup head to permit that head to scan the magnetic tape, and an audio amplifier for converting signals derived from the pickup head into sound, a tunable radio receiver constructed in a form permitting it to be interchanged in the tape player with the tape cartridge, the radio receiver including an output circuit having a magnetic coupler which is juxtaposed to the pickup head when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player, the coupler inductively coupling signals to the pickup head to cause radio transmissions received by the radio receiver to be audibly reproduced through the tape player.

Claim 9

For use with a tape player of the type having a magnetic pickup head: means to position a cartridge containing a magnetic tape relative to the magnetic pickup head to permit that head to scan the magnetic tape, and an audio amplifier for converting signals derived from the pickup head into sound, a tunable radio receiver constructed in a form permitting it to be interchanged in the tape player with the tape cartridge, the radio receiver including an output circuit having a magnetic coupler which is juxtaposed to the pickup head when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player, the coupler inductively coupling signals to the pickup head to cause radio transmissions received by the radio receiver to be audibly reproduced through the tape player.

Claim 10

A tunable radio receiver according to claim 6, wherein the radio receiver further includes: a pair of power receiving contacts, and rectifier means connected to the power receiving contacts, the rectifier means being arranged to rectify the current drawn through those contacts to provide DC power of a predetermined polarity to the circuits in the radio receiver regardless of the polarity of electrical potential existing between those contacts.

Claim 11

In combination with a tape player of thE type having: a magnetic pickup head, means to position a cartridge containing a magnetic tape relative to the magnetic pickup head to permit that head to scan the magnetic tape, and an audio amplifier for converting signals derived from the pickup head into sound, a tunable radio receiver constructed in a form permitting it to be interchanged in the tape player with the tape cartridge, the radio receiver including an output circuit having a magnetic coupler which is juxtaposed to the pickup head when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player, the coupler inductively coupling signals to the pickup head to cause radio transmissions received by the radio receiver to be audibly reproduced through the tape player.

Claim 12

In combination with a tape player of thE type having: a magnetic pickup head, means to position a cartridge containing a magnetic tape relative to the magnetic pickup head to permit that head to scan the magnetic tape, and an audio amplifier for converting signals derived from the pickup head into sound, a tunable radio receiver constructed in a form permitting it to be interchanged in the tape player with the tape cartridge, the radio receiver including an output circuit having a magnetic coupler which is juxtaposed to the pickup head when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player, the coupler inductively coupling signals to the pickup head to cause radio transmissions received by the radio receiver to be audibly reproduced through the tape player.

Claim 13

In the combination of a tape player and radio receiver according to claim 8 wherein the tape player is of the type which further includes: electrically energizable head displacement means for causing the pickup head to be moved to a position where it can scan another track on a multitrack tape in the cartridge, a pair of normally disconnected contacts between which an electric potential exists, the contacts cooperating with a conducting segment on the magnetic tape which acts to bridge the contacts whereby to electrically energize the means for displacing the pickup head, and the radio receiver has a pair of power receiving contacts which engage the pair of normally disconnected contacts of the tape player when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player, the radio receiver thereby receiving all its operating power through the mated contacts and including means for limiting the current drawn through those contacts to a value less than that required to cause energization of the head displacement means.

Claim 14

In the combination of a tape player and a tunable radio receiver in accordance with claim 9, further including the improvement wherein: the radio receiver has rectifier means coupled to the power receiving contacts for supplying DC power of a predetermined polarity to circuits in the radio receiver regardless of the polarity of the electric potential existing between the normally disconnected contacts in the tape player.

Claim 15

In the combination of a tape player and a tunable radio receiver in accordance with claim 9, further including the improvement wherein: the tape player has a connection to an external antenna and the tunable radio receiver has means which couple to the antenna connection in the tape player upon insertion of the radio receiver into the tape player.

Claim 16

In the combination of a tape player and a tunable radio receiver in accordance with claim 9, further including the improvement wherein: the tape player has a switch which, when actuated, disables the tape drive motor in the tape player, and the tunable radio receiver is arranged to actuate the switch when the radio receiver is positioned in the tape player.