Adapter for increasing the capacity of tape recorders

Claim 2

An arrangement for changing the length of recording time of a tape recorder comprising in combination: a plate member separate from said tape recorder but having means for securing same to said tape recorder; first rotatable means held by said plate member and rotatable by the tape reel drive means fo said recorder; second rotatable means spaced from said first rotatable means and held by said plate member; linking means for linking said first rotatable means with said second rotatable means so that said second rotatable means is rotated when said first rotatable means rotates, and auxiliary drive means linked to said second rotatable means for complementing the driving of said second rotatable means by said first rotatable means through said linking means.

Claim 3

The arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary drive means comprises auxiliary motor means; auxiliary pulley means mounted on the shaft of said auxiliary motor means; and auxiliary linking means linking said auxiliary pulley means with said second rotatable means.

Claim 4

An adapter for readily separable assembly to a tape recorder to increase the size of tape reels usable with the recorder, where the tape recorder has means for supporting and driving tape reels including a pair of parallel tape-reel shafts projecting therefrom with a given shaft-to-shaft spacing, said adapter including an adapter plate, a first pair of pulleys carried by said plate, the axes of said first pair of pulleys being parallel and being spaced apart for alignment with the tape-reel shafts of the tape recorder, each of said first pair of pulleys having a passage to receive a respective tape-reel shaft of the recorder, each said pulley having drive coupling means operaBle about the axis thereof and separably cooperable with the tape-reel driving means of the tape recorder, a second pair of pulleys rotatably carried by said adapter plate with axes spaced apart wider than the spacing between the axes of said first pair of pulleys, said second pair of pulleys having shafts and drive coupling means for supporting and driving a pair of tape reels, and a pair of drive belts, each of said drive belts providing drive coupling from a respective one of said first pair of pulleys to a respective one of said second pair of pulleys.

Claim 5

An adapter for readily separable assembly to a tape recorder to increase the size of tape reels usable with the recorder, where the tape recorder has means for supporting and driving tape reels including a pair of parallel tape-reel shafts projecting therefrom with a given shaft-to-shaft spacing, said adapter including an adapter plate, a first pair of pulleys carried by said plate, the axes of said first pair of pulleys being parallel and being spaced apart for alignment with the tape-reel shafts of the tape recorder, each of said first pair of pulleys having a passage to receive a respective tape-reel shaft of the recorder, each said pulley having drive coupling means operaBle about the axis thereof and separably cooperable with the tape-reel driving means of the tape recorder, a second pair of pulleys rotatably carried by said adapter plate with axes spaced apart wider than the spacing between the axes of said first pair of pulleys, said second pair of pulleys having shafts and drive coupling means for supporting and driving a pair of tape reels, and a pair of drive belts, each of said drive belts providing drive coupling from a respective one of said first pair of pulleys to a respective one of said second pair of pulleys.

Claim 6

An adapter for use with a tape recorder in accordance with claim 3, wherein said drive coupling means of each of said pulleys is part of a pin-and-groove drive coupling that mates with a drive coupling part of the tape reel drive means of the tape recorder, said drive coupling means being oriented for establishing pin-and-groove drive engagement incidental to the assembly of said first pair of pulleys to the tape-reel shafts.

Claim 7

The arrangement as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for securing said plate member to said tape recorder comprises manual finger-operated latching means.

Claim 8

An adapter as defined in claim 3 for use with a tape recorder having driven tape reel shafts which serve as drive shafts for the adapter, wherein said drive coupling means includes a bushing unitary with each of said first pair of pulleys adapted to grip a respective tape reel shaft of said recorder.

Claim 9

An adapter as defined in claim 6, wherein said bushing of each of said first pair of pulleys comprises plural resilient sections adapted to grip a corresponding one of the tape reel shafts of the recorder.

Claim 10

The adapter as defined in claim 3 for use with a tape recorder having drive pins located eccentrically with respect to said tape reel shafts and operable by the tape recorder concentrically about those shafts, wherein said drive coupling means is formed to include an opening in each of said first pair of pulleys to receive a respective one of the drive pins of the tape recorder.

Claim 11

An adapter in accordance with claim 3, wherein said adapter plate includes an upper plate section and a lower plate section, said pulleys and said drive belts being contained between said sections and being protected thereby from mishandling.

Claim 12

An adapter in accordance with claim 3, wherein said adapter plate is divided by a step into two portions at different levels, each of said two portions bearing one of said first pair of pulleys, one of said second pair of pulleys and one of said belts, for accommodating slant-track recording in the tape recorder.