Magnetic tape cartridge play control means

Claim 1

In a magnetic tape cartridge player utilizing a plurality of endless magnetic tape cartridges wherein the cartridges are played in such a successive manner that the next cartridge is automatically brought to the play position upon completion of the play of the cartridge held in the play position, magnetic tape cartridge play control means comprising a movable deck; a rotatable capstan on the deck, said capstan being adapted to forcedly abut on a pinch roller in the cartridge held in the play position; a magnetic head on the deck; a cam member for allowing the magnetic head to synchronize with the tracks on the tape within the cartridge in the play position and for shifting the tape across the same, cam driving means for intermittently rotating the cam member, said cam driving means being operable in response to a track changing signal to rotate the cam member through a predetermined angle; a control circuit for generating the track changing signal and for controlling operation of the cam driving means; deck driving means for reciprocally moving the deck between a reproducing poSition where the capstan engages the cartridge in the play position and a retracted position where the capstan is disengaged from the cartridge in the play position; means on said deck for holding a cartridge in the play position, said holding means being operable to engage and hold said cartridge in the play position when said deck is in the reproducing position and to disengage from said cartridge in the play position when said deck is moved away from said reporducing position; means for exchanging a cartridge in the play position with the next cartridge to be played, said exchange means being operable to make said exchange in response to movement of the deck away from said reproducing position; latch means for retaining the deck in the reproducing position; latch means for retaining the deck in the reproducing position, said latch means having a movable latch lever selectively engageable with one portion of the deck and bias means for urging said latch lever to engage the one portion of the deck; an actuating member for moving the latch lever to permit disengagement from the one portion of the deck against the bias of the bias means, said actuating member being synchronously rotatable with the cam member, said actuating member being operable to disengage the latch lever from the one portion of the deck after the cam member has rotated through one revolution to allow the magnetic head to scan all the tracks on the tape within the cartridge in the play position, in response thereto the deck being retracted by the deck moving means from the reproducing position to allow the next cartridge to be brought into the play position.