Container for 8-track tape cartridges

Claim 2

A cassette storage container comprising: a housing adapted to receive and store a cassette; ejector means mounted in the housing; spring means cooperating with said ejector means to bias said ejector means to an ejection position; and a releasable locking member cooperating with said ejector means to lock said ejector means in an insertion position against the bias of said spring means; two-movement-allowing mounting and guide means mounting said ejector means for guided movement in the ejection direction and also mounting said ejector means for movement in another manner; a guide means engaging portion on said ejector means engaging said two-movement-allowing mounting and guide means; a cassette engaging portion on said ejector means to engage a cassette and move it in the ejection direction; a mating portion on said ejector means adapted to engage a corresponding mating portion on a correctly inserted cassette by movement of said ejector means in said another manner; and said locking member cooperating with movement in said another manner of said ejector means to releasably lock said ejector means in the insertion position when said mating portion is engaged and to provide an eject condition when said mating portion is disengaged.

Claim 3

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said mounting and guide means comprises channel defining means and the locking member comprises a finger actuable key accessible at the outside of the housing by the cassette entry position and located at one end of the channel defining means.

Claim 4

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 2, wherein stop means are provided to limit the movement of the key and the key comprises a body portion with a generally flat guide and stop portion projecting therefrom, the guide and stop portion cooperating with the ejector means to guide movement of said ejector means in the ejection direction and to provide a stop for said ejector means in the insertion position.

Claim 5

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the channel defining means comprises a side wall of the housing, two covering walls of the housing, and inwardly projecting inner strips formed on the covering walls; and wherein the stop means are formed by an end edge of the said side wall and the inner strips to limit movement into the housing and bY a lug with a blocking surface on the key and associated means in the housing defining a slot to limit movement out of the housing.

Claim 6

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the said guide and stop portion has a projection thereon acting against the said one side wall of the housing whereby the side inner strips and said one side wall cooperate with the said guide and stop portion to guide movement thereof.

Claim 7

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 4, wherein said ejector means comprises a two-armed lever having a longer arm constituting said guide means engaging portion, a shorter arm constituting said cassette engaging portion, and a cam portion projecting from said longer arm constituting said mating portion, said longer arm being located in said channel defining means and said shorter arm and said cam portion projecting between said inner strips into the path of movement of the cassette.

Claim 8

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 6, wherein said longer arm is longitudinally divided to define a first section carrying said cam portion and a spring tongue pointing toward said one said side wall, and a second section carrying a lateral projection, and wherein on the inside of the adjacent covering wall nearest to said lateral projection is formed a control strip cooperating with said ejector means to initiate a tilting movement of said ejector means when said key is actuated.

Claim 9

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first section is formed with a lug cooperating with said channel defining means for guided movement therein and engaging one end of said spring means, said channel defining means including an additional guide strip located in the compression zone of said spring means to position said spring means and said lug.

Claim 10

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing comprises side walls and covering walls, said covering walls being generally U-shaped plates having on their outer sides stacking guide members extending in the cassette ejection direction.

Claim 11

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ejector means comprises a two-armed lever having a longer arm constituting said guide means engaging portion, a shorter arm constituting said cassette engaging portion, and a cam portion projecting from said longer arm constituting said mating portion, wherein said longer arm is formed with a tongue guided by slot defining means formed in a side wall of the housing, said slot defining means and said tongue cooperating to lock said ejector means in the insertion position, and wherein guide strip means in the insertion position, and wherein guide strip means are provided in the housing along the path between insertion and ejection positions to press said longer arm into engagement with the cassette.

Claim 12

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two-movement-allowing mounting and guide means comprises elongate hinge means engaging a hinge member on said ejector means to allow movement in the ejection direction and pivotal movement about an axis parallel to said ejection direction, manually operable means are provided to pivot said ejector means into an unlocked position, and slide means are provided in the housing to pivot said ejector back into a locked position.

Claim 13

A cassette storage container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two-movement-allowing mounting and guide means comprises means in the housing defining longitudinal guide channels, said guide means engaging portion comprises studs on said ejector means located by said means defining longitudinal guide channels, and finger actuable key means is provided to resiliently deform said ejector member to release it from the locked position.

Claim 14

A storage container for cassettes incorporating an angular excision, comprising; a cassette housing having an open side and a storage compartment to receive, eject and linearly guide a cassette in snug fitting reLation and also having an ejector space adjacent said compartment, ejector means in the ejector space and movable toward and away from the open side of the housing, the ejector means including a cassette engaging thruster projecting into the storage compartment to underlie and thrust the cassette in the ejection direction toward the open side of the housing, the ejector means also having a mating insert movable transversely of the ejection direction for insertion into and removal from the storage compartment and the angular excision of the cassette, the ejector means also including mating insert-positioning and thruster-propelling apparatus operating in response to inward movement of the cassette and thruster from the open side of the housing and urging the mating insert into the angular excision of a correctly oriented cassette and developing spring pressure on the thruster tending to move the thruster in the ejection direction, and a latch having locked and release positions and restraining the cassette and ejecting means against movement in the ejection direction.

Claim 15

A storage container for cassettes incorporating an angular excision, comprising; a cassette housing having an open side and a storage compartment to receive, eject and linearly guide a cassette in snug fitting reLation and also having an ejector space adjacent said compartment, ejector means in the ejector space and movable toward and away from the open side of the housing, the ejector means including a cassette engaging thruster projecting into the storage compartment to underlie and thrust the cassette in the ejection direction toward the open side of the housing, the ejector means also having a mating insert movable transversely of the ejection direction for insertion into and removal from the storage compartment and the angular excision of the cassette, the ejector means also including mating insert-positioning and thruster-propelling apparatus operating in response to inward movement of the cassette and thruster from the open side of the housing and urging the mating insert into the angular excision of a correctly oriented cassette and developing spring pressure on the thruster tending to move the thruster in the ejection direction, and a latch having locked and release positions and restraining the cassette and ejecting means against movement in the ejection direction.

Claim 16

The storage container for cassettes according to claim 13 and the ejector means, latch and housing adjacent the ejector space having mutually interfering portions preventing the latch from moving to locked position in response to failure of the mating insert to move transversely by reason of an incorrectly oriented cassette.

Claim 17

The storage container for cassettes according to claim 13 and the ejector means including a resiliently flexible mounting portion for said mating insert, the ejector means and housing adjacent the ejector space having mutually interfering portions preventing the mating insert from moving transversely entirely clear of the cassette during ejection and reception of the cassette in the housing, the resiliently flexible mounting portion maintaining the mating insert in braking engagement with the cassette during rejection.

Claim 18

The storage container according to claim 13 and the mating insert-positioning and thruster-propelling apparatus including a lug affixed to the thruster and mating insert and extending transversely across the ejector space and oppositely of the thruster, the spring bearing against the lug in the ejection direction for engaging the cassette and for urging the mating insert into the excision of the cassette.

Claim 19

The storage container according to claim 13 and the mating insert-positioning and thruster-propelling apparatus including a camming slide on the housing in the ejector space and engaging the ejector means and producing such transverse movement of the mating insert into the cassette excision in response to inward movement of the cassette and thruster of the ejection means.

Claim 20

The storage container for cassettes according to claim 13 and the mating insert-positioning and thruster-propelling apparatus including means mounting the elongate thruster at an oblique angle in substantially fixed relation to said mating insert, the thruster extending obliquely toward the open side of the housing and transversely of said ejection direction to be first engaged at its outer end by the cassette moving into the storage compartment to tilt the mating insert into the cassette excision.