Tri-capstan tape transport

Claim 2

A bi-directional, differential capstan, tape transport comprising: three capstans mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes; means for conducting a tape into surface contact with each of said capstans; means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan, said driving means being operative to selectively drive said capstans in opposite directions; first tape utilization means positioned to utilize said tape between said central capstan and one of said outer two capstans; second tape utilization means positioned to utilize said tape between said central capstan and the other of said outer two capstans; and means for activating said first utilization means when said tape is traveling from said other outer capstan to said central capstan and then to said one outer capstan and for activating said second utilization means when said tape is traveling from said one outer capstan to said central capstan and then to said other outer capstan.

Claim 3

A tape transport according to claim 1 wherein said means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan comprises: drive means; a drive pulley associated with said drive means; a capstan pulley associated with each of said capstans, said capstan pulleys having diameters equal to each other, the diameters of said outer two capstans being greater than that of said central capstan; and belt means for transmitting an equal rotational drive motion from said drive pulley to said capstan pulleys for driving said capstans at the same rotational speed, the increased diameter of said outer two capstans causing said outer two capstans to have a higher peripheral velocity than said central capstan.

Claim 4

A tape transport according to claim 1 wherein said means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan comprises: drive means; a drive pulley associated with said drive means; a capstan pulley associated with each of said capstans, the diameters of the capstan pulleys associated with said outer two capstans being smaller than that of the capstan pulley associated with said central capstan, the diameters of said capstans being equal to each other; and belt means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley to said capstan pulleys thereby driving said outer two capstans at a higher rotational speed than said central capstan.

Claim 5

A tape transport according to claim 1 wherein said tape is magnetic recording tape, wherein said first utilization means is a first magnetic head positioned to contact said tape between said central capstan and one of said outer two capstans, and wherein said second utilization means is a second magnetic head positioned to contact said tape between said central capstan and the other of said outer two capstans.

Claim 6

A tape transport comprising: three capstans mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes; means for conducting a tape into surface contact with each of said capstans; means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said capstans, for maintaining a tape wrap of at least 180* successively around the outside of all of said capstans.

Claim 7

A tape transport comprising: three capstans mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes; means for conducting a tape into surface contact with each of said capstans; means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said capstans, for maintaining a tape wrap of at least 180* successively around the outside of all of said capstans.

Claim 8

A tape transport according to claim 5 wherein all of said capstans contact the same side of said tape.

Claim 9

A tape transport according to claim 6 wherein there are four of said idlers, one of said idlers being positioned between each of said outer two capstans and said central capstan and the remaining two idlers being positioned between said outer two capstans, said capstans and said idlers forming substantially a delta configuration.

Claim 10

A tape transport according to claim 6 further comprising: four magnetic heads positioned to contact said tape on the side thereof opposite to the side contacted by said capstans, two of said heads being positioned to contact said tape between one of said outer two capstans and said central capstan and the remaining two heads being positioned to contact said tape between the other of said outer two capstans and said central capstan, all of said heads being positioned to contact said tape where said tape is tangent to one of said capstans, the unsupported length of tape between each capstan and each of said heads being less than the radii of said capstans.

Claim 11

A tape transport comprising: three capstans mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes; means for conducting a tape into surface contact with each of said capstans; means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said capstans, for maintaining a tape wrap successively around the outside of all of said capstans, said idlers effecting a cumulative wrap angle around said capstans of at least 540*, with each of said capstans being in driving engagement with the same side of said tape.

Claim 12

A tape transport comprising: three capstans mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes; means for conducting a tape into surface contact with each of said capstans; means for driving the outer two capstans at a higher peripheral velocity than the central capstan; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said capstans, for maintaining a tape wrap successively around the outside of all of said capstans, said idlers effecting a cumulative wrap angle around said capstans of at least 540*, with each of said capstans being in driving engagement with the same side of said tape.

Claim 13

A tape transport for imparting a predetermiNed tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstans means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; and belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity.

Claim 14

A tape transport for imparting a predetermiNed tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstans means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; and belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity.

Claim 15

A tape transport according to claim 10 wherein the diameters of said first, second, and third capstan pulley means are equal to each other and wherein the diameter of said first capstan means is greater than that of said second capstan means.

Claim 16

A tape transport according to claim 11 wherein the diameter of said second capstan means is equal to that of said third capstan means.

Claim 17

A tape transport according to claim 11 wherein the diameter of said third capstan means is greater than that of said second capstan means.

Claim 18

A tape transport according to claim 13 wherein the diameter of said third capstan means is equal to that of said first capstan means.

Claim 19

A tape transport according to claim 10 wherein the diameters of said first, second, and third capstan means are equal to each other and wherein the diameter of said first capstan pulley means is less than that of said second capstan pulley menas.

Claim 20

A tape transport according to claim 15 wherein the diameter of said second capstan pulley means is equal to that of said third capstan pulley means.

Claim 21

A tape transport according to claim 15 wherein the diameter of said third capstan pulley means is less than that of said second capstan pulley means.

Claim 22

A tape transport according to claim 17 wherein the diameter of said third capstan pulley means is equal to that of said first capstan pulley means.

Claim 23

A tape transport for imparting a predetermined tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively, said first second and third capstan pulley means being substantially equiangularly spaced around said drive pulley means; and belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity, said belt means comprising: first, second, and third drive belts, each of said drive belts extending as a closed loop around each of said capstan pulley means and passing around said drive pulley means so that said drive pulley means is disposed outside of said loop, said drive belts being substantially equiangularly spaced and substantially equally tensioned around said drive pulley means to provide a balanced radial loading on said drive pulley means, the unsupported length of each of said drive belts between said drive pulley means and said capstan pulley means being infinitesimally small, the unsupported length of each of said drive belts between said capstan pulley means being relatively large whereby said capstan pulley means are connected to said drive pulley means by six infinitesimally small belt lengths thereby providing a ''''hard'''' drive and said capstan pulley means are connected to each other by six relatively long belt lengths providing belt measurement areas and permitting proper tracking.

Claim 24

A tape transport for imparting a predetermined tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively, said first second and third capstan pulley means being substantially equiangularly spaced around said drive pulley means; and belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity, said belt means comprising: first, second, and third drive belts, each of said drive belts extending as a closed loop around each of said capstan pulley means and passing around said drive pulley means so that said drive pulley means is disposed outside of said loop, said drive belts being substantially equiangularly spaced and substantially equally tensioned around said drive pulley means to provide a balanced radial loading on said drive pulley means, the unsupported length of each of said drive belts between said drive pulley means and said capstan pulley means being infinitesimally small, the unsupported length of each of said drive belts between said capstan pulley means being relatively large whereby said capstan pulley means are connected to said drive pulley means by six infinitesimally small belt lengths thereby providing a ''''hard'''' drive and said capstan pulley means are connected to each other by six relatively long belt lengths providing belt measurement areas and permitting proper tracking.

Claim 25

A tape transport according to claim 19 wherein said drive pulley means is spaced from eAch of said first, second, and third capstan pulley means by more than one and less than ten drive belt thicknesses.

Claim 26

A tape transport for imparting a predetermined tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said first, second, and third capstan means, for maintaining a tape wrap of at least 180* successively around the outside of said first, second, and third capstan means.

Claim 27

A tape transport for imparting a predetermined tension to a tape comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; belt means interconnecting said drive pulley means and said first, second, and third capstan pulley means for transmitting an equal rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means thereby driving said first, second, and third capstan pulley means with the same peripheral velocity; and a plurality of idlers mounted for rotation around spaced, parallel axes, coplanar with said first, second, and third capstan means, for maintaining a tape wrap of at least 180* successively around the outside of said first, second, and third capstan means.

Claim 28

A tape transport according to claim 21 wherein all of said capstan means contact the same side of said tape.

Claim 29

A tape transport according to claim 22 further comprising: four magnetic heads positioned to contact said tape on the side thereof opposite the side contacted by said first, second, and third capstan means, two of said heads being positioned to contact said tape between said first and said second capstan means and the remaining two heads being positioned to contact said tape between said second and said third capstan means, all of said heads being positioned to contact said tape where said tape is tangent to one of said capstan means, the unsupported length of tape between each of said capstan means and each of said heads being less than the radii of said capstan means.

Claim 30

A tape transport comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; belt means for transmitting a rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means; first, second, third, and fourth idler means mounted for rotation coplanar with said capstan means, said first idler means being positioned between said first and second capstan means, said second idler means being positioned between said second and third capstan means, and said third and fourth idler means being positioned between said first and third capstan means, said idler means and said capstan means thereby forming substantially a delta configuration, said idler means effecting a cumulative wrap angle of said tape around said capstan means of more than 600*, with each of said capstan means being in driving engagement with the same side of said tape.

Claim 31

A tape transport comprising: drive means; drive pulley means associated with said drive means; first, second, and third capstan means arranged to sequentially contact said tape; first, second, and third capstan pulley means associated with said first, second, and third capstan means, respectively; belt means for transmitting a rotational driving motion from said drive pulley means to said first, second, and third capstan pulley means; first, second, third, and fourth idler means mounted for rotation coplanar with said capstan means, said first idler means being positioned between said first and second capstan means, said second idler means being positioned between said second and third capstan means, and said third and fourth idler means being positioned between said first and third capstan means, said idler means and said capstan means thereby forming substantially a delta configuration, said idler means effecting a cumulative wrap angle of said tape around said capstan means of more than 600*, with each of said capstan means being in driving engagement with the same side of said tape.

Claim 32

A tape transport according to claim 24 further comprising: first, second, third, and fourth magnetic head means positioned to contact said tape on the side thereof opposite to the side contacted by said capstan means, said first and second head means being positioned to contact said tape between said first and second capstan means and said third and fourth head means being positioned to contact said tape between said second and third capstan means, all of said head means being positioned to contact said tape where said tape is tangent to one of said capstan means, the unsupported length of tape between each of said capstan means and each of said head means being less than the radii of said capstan means.