Tape cartridge positioning apparatus

Claim 1

A tape cartridge positioning apparatus for an endless magnetic tape cartridge player, the player including a player housing, a deck provided within the player housing, an opening formed on the player housing and adapted to receive laterally an endless magnetic tape cartridge in the player housing, a rotatable capstan mounted on the deck and adapted to drivingly transport an endless magnetic tape within the cartridge which is inserted through the opening into the player housing and positioned in a play position by the tape cartridge positioning apparatus, and at least one magnetic head mounted on the deck and adapted to transduce the tape within the cartridge in the play position, comprising: a reciprocating lever member slidably mounted transversely of the direction that the cartridge is inserted, said lever member having a front arm opposed to a leading edge of the cartridge inserted into the player housing and a rear arm parallelly spaced and opposed to the front arm, said rear arm extending at its one end outwardly of the player housing and manually operated; a tension spring for urging the lever member in one direction; a stopper means for retaining the lever member against the bias of the tension spring in a first position where the cartridge to be inserted into the player housing is interposed between the front arm and the rear arm, said stopper means having a movable stopper lever mounted to the deck, said stopper lever being normally biased by a spring to a position to engage the lever member, one portion of said stopper lever being extended to the path of advancement of the cartridge to be inserted into the player housing when said stopper lever is biased by said spring to said position and being moved against the bias of said spring to a position to disengage the lever member in conjunction with depression of the stopper lever by the cartridge, the lever member being moved by the bias of the tension spring from the first position to the second position where the cartridge is positioned in the play position in conjunction with disengagement of said stopper lever from the lever member, the cartridge at its rear wall being pressed by the reAr arm and brought to the play position in movement of the lever member by the tension spring; a first guide member movably mounted to the rear arm, said first guide member being normally biased by a spring to a position where a portion of the cartridge is advanced, said first guide member being pressed by the rear wall of the cartridge when inserted and being moved against the bias of said spring and further adapted to press a side wall of the cartridge upon restoration by the bias of the spring when the cartridge is completely inserted; a second guide member movably mounted to the deck and serving to guide the cartridge in cooperation with the first guide member in opposing to the leading edge of the cartridge when the cartridge is inserted, said second bias guide member being normally biased by a spring to guide the cartridge when inserted, said second guide member being adapted so that when the cartridge is moved to the play position with movement of the lever member, it is pressed by the cartridge and moved against the bias of said spring to press the side wall of the cartridge under the bias of said spring, the cartridge moved to the play position being positioned to the play position by the lever member, the first and second guide members, in conjunction with manually operated movement of the lever member from the second position to the first position, the leading edge of the cartridge in the play position is pressed by the front arm and moved back from the play position, and further being pressed outwardly of the player housing by the stopper lever in conjunction with restoration of the stopper lever to a position to engage the lever member.