Automatic and continuous cassette player

Claim 2

An automatic and continuous cassette player comprising: a cassette case having a plurality of compartments, each of which compartments stores a cassette containing a winding of recorded tape, said cassette case being formed in aligned relation with notches, through which the adjacent compartments are connected to each other; case guide means for guiding a motion of the cassette case in a known direction; cassette shifting means for taking out in a direction transverse to said known direction and shifting a cassette to a first predetermined position from oNe of the compartments of the cassette case, said one of the compartments being at a second predetermined position; means for playing a cassette which lies at the first predetermined position; means for detecting the completion of the winding of recorded tape in the cassette being played by said playing means; cassette restoring means responsive to the detection of the end of the winding operation by said detecting means for moving and restoring the cassette from the first predetermined position into said one of the compartments in the second predetermined position; restoration detecting means for detecting the restoration of said cassette into said one of the compartments, said restoration detecting means including a first lever, an end of which is inserted into the notch of the cassette case in the compartment lying in said second predetermined position, a second rotatable lever pivotally mounting the first lever at an end, biasing means including a resilient member for biasing said first lever in a direction parallel to the direction of taking out of the cassette by said cassette shifting means, a first switch to open and close by rotation of the second lever, and limiting means for limiting an extent of the insertion of said first lever into the cassette case so that the inserted first lever is pushed back against said biasing means by the cassette restored by said cassette restoring means and closes said first switch through the second lever to detect the restoration of said cassette; cassette case moving means responsive to closing of said first switch for moving said cassette case in the direction guided by said case guide means so that a subsequent cassette in the cassette case reaches said second predetermined position; and a second switch operable to open and close by rotation of said first lever; said cassette shifting means being actuated in response to closing of said second switch by rotation of said first lever due to a contact with a moving cassette.

Claim 3

An automatic and continuous cassette player comprising: a cassette-case having a plurality of adjacent compartments each storing a cassette containing two reels, on one of which a recorded tape is wound, said cassette-case being formed in aligned relation with notches, through which the adjacent compartments are connected to each other; case guide means for guiding a motion of the cassette-case in a known direction; cassette shifting means for taking out in a direction transverse to said known direction and shifting a cassette to a first predetermined position from one of the compartments of the cassette-case, said one of the compartments being at a second predetermined position; first cassette-playing means for playing the tape to be wound from the one of two reels to the other reel in the cassette which lies at the first predetermined position; first completion-detecting means for detecting a completion of the winding of the tape from the one of two reels to the other reel in the cassette being played by said first cassette-playing means; cassette moving means responsive to the detection of the completion of the winding by said first completion-detecting means for moving the cassette from the first predetermined position to a third predetermined position; second cassette-playing means for playing the tape to be wound from the other reel to the one of two reels in the cassette which lies at the third predetermined position; second completion-detecting means for detecting a completion of the winding of the tape from the other reel to the one of two reels in the cassette being played by said second cassette-playing means; cassette restoring means responsive to the detection of the completion of the winding by said second completion detecting means for moving and restoring the cassette from the third predetermined position into said one of the compartments in the second predetermined position; restoration detecting means for detecTing the restoration of the cassette into said one of the compartments, said restoration detecting means including a first lever, an end of which is inserted into the notch of the cassette case in the compartment lying in said second predetermined position, a second rotatable lever pivotally mounting the first lever at an end, biasing means including a resilient member for biasing said first lever in a direction parallel to the direction of taking out of the cassette by said cassette shifting means, a first switch operable to open and close by rotation of the second lever, and limiting means for limiting an extent of the insertion of said first lever into the cassette case so that the inserted first lever is pushed back against said biasing means by the cassette restored by said cassette restoring means and closes said first switch through the second lever to detect the restoration of the cassette; cassette case moving means responsive to closing of said first switch for moving said cassette-case in the direction guided by said case guide means so that a subsequent cassette in the cassette-case reaches said second predetermined position; and a second switch operable to open and close by rotation of said first lever, said cassette shifting means being actuated in response to closing of said second switch by rotation of said first lever due to a contact with a moving cassette.

Claim 4

An automatic and continuous cassette player comprising: a cassette-case having a plurality of adjacent compartments each storing a cassette containing two reels, on one of which a recorded tape is wound, said cassette-case being formed in aligned relation with notches, through which the adjacent compartments are connected to each other; case guide means for guiding a motion of the cassette-case in a known direction; cassette shifting means for taking out in a direction transverse to said known direction and shifting a cassette to a first predetermined position from one of the compartments of the cassette-case, said one of the compartments being at a second predetermined position; first cassette-playing means for playing the tape to be wound from the one of two reels to the other reel in the cassette which lies at the first predetermined position; first completion-detecting means for detecting a completion of the winding of the tape from the one of two reels to the other reel in the cassette being played by said first cassette-playing means; cassette moving means responsive to the detection of the completion of the winding by said first completion-detecting means for moving the cassette from the first predetermined position to a third predetermined position; second cassette-playing means for playing the tape to be wound from the other reel to the one of two reels in the cassette which lies at the third predetermined position; second completion-detecting means for detecting a completion of the winding of the tape from the other reel to the one of two reels in the cassette being played by said second cassette-playing means; cassette restoring means responsive to the detection of the completion of the winding by said second completion detecting means for moving and restoring the cassette from the third predetermined position into said one of the compartments in the second predetermined position; restoration detecting means for detecTing the restoration of the cassette into said one of the compartments, said restoration detecting means including a first lever, an end of which is inserted into the notch of the cassette case in the compartment lying in said second predetermined position, a second rotatable lever pivotally mounting the first lever at an end, biasing means including a resilient member for biasing said first lever in a direction parallel to the direction of taking out of the cassette by said cassette shifting means, a first switch operable to open and close by rotation of the second lever, and limiting means for limiting an extent of the insertion of said first lever into the cassette case so that the inserted first lever is pushed back against said biasing means by the cassette restored by said cassette restoring means and closes said first switch through the second lever to detect the restoration of the cassette; cassette case moving means responsive to closing of said first switch for moving said cassette-case in the direction guided by said case guide means so that a subsequent cassette in the cassette-case reaches said second predetermined position; and a second switch operable to open and close by rotation of said first lever, said cassette shifting means being actuated in response to closing of said second switch by rotation of said first lever due to a contact with a moving cassette.