Tape recording and/or play-back apparatus

Claim 1

An apparatus for recording and/or playing back recordings from a magnetic tape which is accommodated in a cassette, said cassette having openings in a first wall thereof for receiving winding spindles and a driving capstan of said apparatus, and additional openings in a side wall pependicular to said first wall for receiving magnetic head means and a pressure roller of said apparatus for engaging the tape within said cassette, said apparatus comprising a housing, a fixed mounting plate accommodated within saiD housing for supporting said cassette, a pair of winding spindles and driving capstan rotatably mounted on said fixed mounting plate for receiving said cassette and driving the tape therein, a movable mounting plate arranged within said housing for movement between a retracted position and an operating position, magnetic head means and a pressure roller mounted on said movable mounting plate so as to be displacable toward and away from the openings in the side wall of said cassette, said magnetic head means and pressure roller being inserted into said openings when said movable mounting plate is displaced to the operating position, spring means acting on said movable mounting plate for urging said plate into theoperating position, latching means movable between a latched and unlatched position for engaging said movable mounting plate when in the latched position to lock said movable mounting plate in its retracted position, spring means actng on said latching means for urging it into said latched position, a latch releasng member connected to said latching means and engageable by said cassette when said cassette is placed in the operating position on said fixed mounting plate to displace said latching means against the force of said spring means acting thereon so as to release said movable mounting plate allowing it to move to said operating position under the influence of the spring means acting thereon, and manually operable resetting means for returning said movable mounting plate to its retracted position comprising at least one ejection key disposed beside a bearing surface for the cassette formed by said fixed mounting plate movable in a plane parallel to this plate, and lever means connected at one end thereof to said key and acting at its other end on said movable mounting plate against the action of the spring means acting thereon so that when said key is depressed said movable mounting plate will be returned to said retracted position and said latching means will be urged into the latched position by said spring means acting thereon which also causes said latch release member to act against said cassette to disengage it from the fixed mounting plate.

Claim 2

An apparatus for recording and/or playing back recordings from a magnetic tape which is accommodated in a cassette, said cassette having openings in a first wall thereof for receiving winding spindles and a driving capstan of said apparatus, and additional openings in a side wall pependicular to said first wall for receiving magnetic head means and a pressure roller of said apparatus for engaging the tape within said cassette, said apparatus comprising a housing, a fixed mounting plate accommodated within saiD housing for supporting said cassette, a pair of winding spindles and driving capstan rotatably mounted on said fixed mounting plate for receiving said cassette and driving the tape therein, a movable mounting plate arranged within said housing for movement between a retracted position and an operating position, magnetic head means and a pressure roller mounted on said movable mounting plate so as to be displacable toward and away from the openings in the side wall of said cassette, said magnetic head means and pressure roller being inserted into said openings when said movable mounting plate is displaced to the operating position, spring means acting on said movable mounting plate for urging said plate into theoperating position, latching means movable between a latched and unlatched position for engaging said movable mounting plate when in the latched position to lock said movable mounting plate in its retracted position, spring means actng on said latching means for urging it into said latched position, a latch releasng member connected to said latching means and engageable by said cassette when said cassette is placed in the operating position on said fixed mounting plate to displace said latching means against the force of said spring means acting thereon so as to release said movable mounting plate allowing it to move to said operating position under the influence of the spring means acting thereon, and manually operable resetting means for returning said movable mounting plate to its retracted position comprising at least one ejection key disposed beside a bearing surface for the cassette formed by said fixed mounting plate movable in a plane parallel to this plate, and lever means connected at one end thereof to said key and acting at its other end on said movable mounting plate against the action of the spring means acting thereon so that when said key is depressed said movable mounting plate will be returned to said retracted position and said latching means will be urged into the latched position by said spring means acting thereon which also causes said latch release member to act against said cassette to disengage it from the fixed mounting plate.