Endless magnetic tape cartridge removing apparatus

Claim 1

In a tape cartridge player for playing an endless magnetic tape cartridge, the cartridge having a notch in the side wall thereof, an apparatus for automatically removing the cartridge from a predetermined operative position in said player, comprising a deck; a rotary capstan on said deck rotatable at constant speed for driving an endless magnetic tape in a cartridge in said operative position; a retention member engageable with said notch in the cartridge for exerting a force on the cartridge to bring the latter in said operative position; a displaceable member on said deck and coupled to said retention member for positioning it with respect to said notch in the cartridge; a pivotably movable lever mounted on said deck for reciprocal movement between first and second positions; an actuator fixed to said lever and arranged to be engageable with the displaceable member; bias means for biasing the lever toward said first position; a stopper means for releasably retaining the lever in said second position against the bias of the bias means; a circular frictional wheel eccentrically mounted for rotation on said lever, said lever being operable when released from the second position by the stopper means to move under the bias of the bias means to the first position, said frictional wheel being arranged on said lever to abut against the capstan when the lever is in said first position and said frictional wheel being operable when rotated by said capstan to swing said lever and thereby move the lever from said first position to said second position at the completion of one revolution of said frictional wheel, said capstan and said frictional wheel being disengaged when said stopper member re-engages said lever, said lever being operable, during the period when it is being moved by the frictional wheel against the bias of said bias member, to move said displaceable member by engagement of said displaceable member with said actuator between the position where said retention member is engaged with said notch and the position where said retention member is escaped from said notch; and pushing means engageable with the cartridge in said operative position for pressing the cartridge away from the operative position when said retention member is escaped from said notch.