Tape recorder apparatus

Claim 1

In a magnetic tape sound recorder including (1) means for receiving a cassette containing tape for recording sound; (2) a housing; (3) means in said housing defining a recess for receiving a tape cassette in recording position; (4) a door on said housing movable from a closed position covering said recess to an open position permitting reception of a cassette into said recess or removal of a cassette from said recess; (5) a plurality of tape guides in fixed positions within said housing to engage and guide the travel of the tape in a received cassette during recording; (6) a tape drive capstan; (7) at least one record head; (8) a pressure roller; and (9) a plate movable mounted in said housing, said record head and said pressure roller being supported by said plate for movement between first positions wherein said record head is in contact with the cassette tape and wherein said pressure roller is in engagement with the tape so as to cause engagement of the tape with said tape drive capstan, and second positions wherein said record head and said pressure roller are out of engagement with the tape; the improvement comprising means effective upon movement of said door to its closed position for moving said plate to effect movement of said record head and said pressure roller to said first positions said moving means comprising: spring means for resiliently urging said plate in a direction for moving said record head and said pressure roller to said first positions; and means interconnecting said door and said plate to move said plate in a direction against the biasing action of said spring, said means interconnecting said door and said plate including (1) an abutment on said plate, (2) a cam member rotatably mounted on said housing and having two straight orthogonal sides joined at a common point, said cam member being rotatable from a first position wherein the first of said straight sides engages said abutment to a second position wherein the second of said straight sides engages said abutment, the displacement of said abutment and said plate resulting from engagement of said second of said straight sides with said abutment being substantially greater than that resulting from engagement of said first of said straight sides with said abutment, and (3) means effective upon movement of said door to its open position for rotating said cam member from the first position thereof to the second position thereof.