Coaxial reel tape transport system

Claim 2

In a tape transport assembly having a tape cartridge provided with coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording medium windable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the medium on said reels, and drive means operative to rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said medium between said reels, the improvement comprising: a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing provided with an upwardly directed guide passage having an entrance for insertion and removal of said tape cartridge into and from said housing, a transducer, a capstan drive, and a tape tensioner mounted within said housing at one end of said guide passage opposite to the tape cartridge entrance, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer, and said tape tensioner member yieldably engaging said medium in its movement across the open end of said tape cartridge to cooperate in maintaining substantially constant tension thereon.

Claim 3

In a tape transport assembly according to claim 1, said housing provided with spaced vertical side walls and a top wall interconnecting the side walls across an open side of said housing adapted to receive the open end of said cartridge, and said guide passage defined by spaced side walls inclining rearwardly and downwardly away from the open side of said housing.

Claim 4

In a tape transport assembly according to claim 1, said housing further provided with photosensing means on opposite sides for sensing the beginning and end of a magnetic tape advanced between the reels, and a protection switch selectively engageable when said tape cartridge is inserted into said housing to prevent erasure of information on the magnetic tape by said transducer.

Claim 5

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer, and said housing provided with an upwardly directed guide opening adjacent one end for insertion and removal of said tape cartridge, and said transducer and capstan drive together with a tape tensioner aligned across an open end of said housing opposite to said guide opening, said tape tensioner including a spring-loaded roller yieldably engaging said tape in closely spaced relation to said transducer.

Claim 6

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer, and said housing provided with an upwardly directed guide opening adjacent one end for insertion and removal of said tape cartridge, and said transducer and capstan drive together with a tape tensioner aligned across an open end of said housing opposite to said guide opening, said tape tensioner including a spring-loaded roller yieldably engaging said tape in closely spaced relation to said transducer.

Claim 7

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwInding said tape between said reels, a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer, and said tape deck further provided with a timing disk and photosensor beneath the open end of said cartridge to correlate the rate of rotation of said capstan drive with the rate of movement of said tape as it is driven by said tape drive means between said reels.

Claim 8

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwInding said tape between said reels, a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer, and said tape deck further provided with a timing disk and photosensor beneath the open end of said cartridge to correlate the rate of rotation of said capstan drive with the rate of movement of said tape as it is driven by said tape drive means between said reels.

Claim 9

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, said tape cartridge provided with a switch control button on its undersurface, said button movable to a position engageable with a final protect switch to advance said transducer to a position to prevent erasure of data on said tape as it is being rewound onto said supply reel, and a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer.

Claim 10

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, said tape cartridge provided with a switch control button on its undersurface, said button movable to a position engageable with a final protect switch to advance said transducer to a position to prevent erasure of data on said tape as it is being rewound onto said supply reel, and a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer.

Claim 11

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to the disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, said tape cartridge provided with an arcuate dust shield interpositioned between the open end of said cartridge and said coaxial take-up and supply reels, and a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer.

Claim 12

A tape transport system comprising in combination: a tape cartridge having coaxial take-up and supply reels, a recording tape on said reels movable across an open end of said cartridge in a direction parallel to the disposition of the tape on said reels, a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge behind the path of travel of said tape across the open end of said cartridge, and drive means operative to reversibly rotate said reels for winding and unwinding said tape between said reels, said tape cartridge provided with an arcuate dust shield interpositioned between the open end of said cartridge and said coaxial take-up and supply reels, and a tape deck including a tape cartridge-receiving housing, a transducer and a capstan drive mounted on said tape deck, and yieldable means within said housing engageable with said tape cartridge upon insertion therein to urge the open end of said tape cartridge in a direction causing said transducer to contact the tape passing across the open end of said cartridge with said capstan drive engaging said tape and said pinch roller to cooperate in advancing said tape across said transducer.

Claim 13

A tape transport system according to claim 7, said tape provided with reflective markers adjacent to opposite ends thereof, and said tape deck provided with photosensors in opposite sides of said housing aligned opposite the paths of travel of said tape onto and from said take-up and supply reels for sensing the beginning and end of said tape.

Claim 14

In a tape transport system having a tape cartridge and coaxial supply and take-up reels mounted for rotation about a common axis within said cartridge for advancement of a recording tape therebetween, the combination therewith of a capstan drive engageable with the tape to advance same between the reels, guide rollers at spaced intervals within said cartridge arranged to guide the tape across said capstan drive in a path of travel parallel to its directiOn of travel in passing onto and from said take-up and supply reels, said guide rollers having tape-contacting roller surfaces for guiding advancement of the tape internally of said cartridge from a first inclined path of travel leading from one reel into a guide path parallel to said reels as the tape is advanced across said capstan drive and thereafter following a second inclined path of travel leading onto the other of said reels, said guide rollers further characterized by having a guide roller member at each corner of said tape cartridge, each guide roller member provided with a tape-contacting roller surface disposed at an angle to the reel axis whereby to establish the inclined paths of travel into and away from the guide path along the open end of said tape cartridge, and there being a pair of corner guide rollers in the path of travel between each reel and the guide path along the open end of said tape cartridge, the rollers of each pair disposed for rotation about axes parallel to one another and inclined to the reel axis, the inclination of the roller axes of one pair being equal but opposite to the inclination to the roller axes of the other pair whereby to cause the tape to undergo successive changes in direction of travel between said reels.

Claim 15

In a tape transport system having a tape cartridge and coaxial supply and take-up reels mounted for rotation about a common axis within said cartridge for advancement of a recording tape therebetween, the combination therewith of a capstan drive engageable with the tape to advance same between the reels, guide rollers at spaced intervals within said cartridge arranged to guide the tape across said capstan drive in a path of travel parallel to its directiOn of travel in passing onto and from said take-up and supply reels, said guide rollers having tape-contacting roller surfaces for guiding advancement of the tape internally of said cartridge from a first inclined path of travel leading from one reel into a guide path parallel to said reels as the tape is advanced across said capstan drive and thereafter following a second inclined path of travel leading onto the other of said reels, said guide rollers further characterized by having a guide roller member at each corner of said tape cartridge, each guide roller member provided with a tape-contacting roller surface disposed at an angle to the reel axis whereby to establish the inclined paths of travel into and away from the guide path along the open end of said tape cartridge, and there being a pair of corner guide rollers in the path of travel between each reel and the guide path along the open end of said tape cartridge, the rollers of each pair disposed for rotation about axes parallel to one another and inclined to the reel axis, the inclination of the roller axes of one pair being equal but opposite to the inclination to the roller axes of the other pair whereby to cause the tape to undergo successive changes in direction of travel between said reels.

Claim 16

In a tape transport system having a tape cartridge and coaxial supply and take-up reels mounted for rotation about a common axis within said cartridge for advancement of a recording tape therebetween, the combination therewith of a capstan drive engageable with the tape to advance same between the reels, guide rollers at spaced intervals within said cartridge arranged to guide the tape across said capstan drive in a path of travel parallel to its direction of travel in passing onto and from said take-up and supply reels, said guide rollers having tape-contacting roller surfaces for guiding advancement of the tape internally of said cartridge from a first inclined path of travel leading from one reel into a guide path parallel to said reels as the tape is advanced across said capstan drive and thereafter following a second inclined path of travel leading onto the other of said reels, said tape cartridge further including a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge and engageable with the inner surface of the tape to press said tape into contact with said capstan drive, and an arcuate dust shield mounted within said cartridge between said reels at the open end of said tape cartridge.

Claim 17

In a tape transport system having a tape cartridge and coaxial supply and take-up reels mounted for rotation about a common axis within said cartridge for advancement of a recording tape therebetween, the combination therewith of a capstan drive engageable with the tape to advance same between the reels, guide rollers at spaced intervals within said cartridge arranged to guide the tape across said capstan drive in a path of travel parallel to its direction of travel in passing onto and from said take-up and supply reels, said guide rollers having tape-contacting roller surfaces for guiding advancement of the tape internally of said cartridge from a first inclined path of travel leading from one reel into a guide path parallel to said reels as the tape is advanced across said capstan drive and thereafter following a second inclined path of travel leading onto the other of said reels, said tape cartridge further including a pinch roller mounted within said cartridge and engageable with the inner surface of the tape to press said tape into contact with said capstan drive, and an arcuate dust shield mounted within said cartridge between said reels at the open end of said tape cartridge.