Methods and apparatus for adjusting tape within a cartridge to minimize differential phase shift in multiple channel tape recording and reproduction

Claim 2

A magazine for storing a length of flat magnetic tape, comprising: a casing; tape supply and take-up means disposed within said casing and providing an accessible loop of the tape; guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lEngthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits thereby providing the magazine with individualized compensation for skew that may be inherent in a recorded tape system.

Claim 3

A continuous tape cartridge for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing a plurality of laterally spaced tracks of phase-related magnetic signals, comprising: a casing; a tape supply and take-up reel mounted for rotation within said casing and providing an accessible loop in the tape between take-off and take-up locations on said reel; guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element, to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 4

A continuous tape cartridge for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing a plurality of laterally spaced tracks of phase-related magnetic signals, comprising: a casing; a tape supply and take-up reel mounted for rotation within said casing and providing an accessible loop in the tape between take-off and take-up locations on said reel; guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element, to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 5

The apparatus defined by claim 2 wherein said adjustable guide comprises a threaded post supported by said casing, a guide element having a threaded bore receiving said post and spaced flanges for guiding said tape, and spring means between said guide element and said casing, whereby manual rotation of said element effects said adjustment of said guide.

Claim 6

The apparatus defined by claim 2 wherein said guide means includes two such adjustable guides disposed on opposite sides of said stations, whereby by adjustment of said guides the height and the azimuth of said tape may be selectively varied.

Claim 7

A continuous loop stereo tape cartridge for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing on laterally spaced tracks phase-related left and right stereo signals, comprising: a casing; a tape supply and take-up reel mounted for rotation within said casing and providing an accessible loop in the tape between take-off and take-up locations on said reel; guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 8

A continuous loop stereo tape cartridge for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing on laterally spaced tracks phase-related left and right stereo signals, comprising: a casing; a tape supply and take-up reel mounted for rotation within said casing and providing an accessible loop in the tape between take-off and take-up locations on said reel; guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 9

The apparatus defined by claim 5 wherein said adjustable guide comprises a threaded post supported by said casing, a guide element having a threaded bore receiving said post and spaced flanges for guiding said tape, and spring means between said guide element and said casing, whereby manual rotation of said element effects said adjustment of said guide.

Claim 10

A tape cassette for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing a plurality of laterally spaced tracks of phase-related magnetic signals, comprising: a casing; first and second reels each mounted for rotatiOn within said casing and providing an accessible section of the tape between said reels; guide means for accurately guiding said section of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being mounted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 11

A tape cassette for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing a plurality of laterally spaced tracks of phase-related magnetic signals, comprising: a casing; first and second reels each mounted for rotatiOn within said casing and providing an accessible section of the tape between said reels; guide means for accurately guiding said section of tape through at least one transduction station including magnetic head means external to the casing at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path with respect to said magnetic head means, said guide element being mounted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits, adjustment of said adjustable guide varying the azimuth of said tape and thus the relative phase of said phase-related signals with respect to a predetermined external reference line.

Claim 12

The apparatus defined by claim 7 wherein said adjustable guide comprises a threaded post supported by said casing, a guide element having a threaded bore receiving said post and spaced flanges for guiding said tape, and spring means between said guide element and said casing, whereby manual rotation of said element effects said adjustment of said guide.

Claim 13

The apparatus defined by claim 7 wherein said guide means includes two such adjustable guides disposed on opposite sides of said stations, whereby by adjustment of said guides the height and the azimuth of said tape may be selectively varied.

Claim 14

In a magnetic tape stereophonic record-playback system, the combination comprising: a magazine for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing on laterally spaced tracks phase-related left and right stereo signals, comprising: a casing; tape supply and take-up means disposed within said casing and providing an accessible loop of the tape, and guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction zone at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape, and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits; a transducer head having a pair of gaps associated with the left and right stereo channels and aligned substantially transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape; and means including deck means for supporting said magazine in operative relationship to said transducer head, whereby by adjustment of said adjustable guide the azimuth of said tape relative to said gaps and thus the relative phase of the left and right stereo signals applied to or derived from the tape may be varied to minimize differential phase shift between left and right stereo channels.

Claim 15

In a magnetic tape stereophonic record-playback system, the combination comprising: a magazine for storing a length of flat magnetic tape containing on laterally spaced tracks phase-related left and right stereo signals, comprising: a casing; tape supply and take-up means disposed within said casing and providing an accessible loop of the tape, and guide means for accurately guiding said loop of tape through at least one transduction zone at which magnetic signals may be applied to or derived from the tape, said guide means including at least one adjustable guide having a guide element with means to confine said tape in a prescribed path, said guide element being adapted for independent adjustment in the plane of the widthwise dimension and transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape, and manually operable means coupled to said guide element for adjusting the transverse position of said element to a fixed location between prescribed limits; a transducer head having a pair of gaps associated with the left and right stereo channels and aligned substantially transverse to the lengthwise dimension of the tape; and means including deck means for supporting said magazine in operative relationship to said transducer head, whereby by adjustment of said adjustable guide the azimuth of said tape relative to said gaps and thus the relative phase of the left and right stereo signals applied to or derived from the tape may be varied to minimize differential phase shift between left and right stereo channels.

Claim 16

The apparatus defined by claim 10 wherein said adjustable guide comprises a threaded post supported by said casing, a guide element having a threaded bore receiving said post and spaced flanges for guiding said tape, and spring means between said guide element and said casing, whereby manual rotation of said element effects said adjustment of said guide.

Claim 17

The apparatus defined by claim 10 wherein said guide means includes two adjustable guides disposed on opposite sides of said stations, whereby by adjustment of said guides the height and the azimuth of said tape may be selectively varied.

Claim 18

The apparatus defined by claim 12 wherein each of said adjustable guides comprises a threaded post supported by said casing, a guide element having a threaded bore receiving said post and spaced flanges for guiding said tape, and spring means between said guide elemEnt and said casing, whereby manual rotation of said element effects said adjustment of said guide.