Cassette locating and holding devices in a cassette tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus

Claim 1

A cassette tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprising: a chassis; a carriage having at least one head thereon; means mounting said carriage on said chassis for movement of said carriage relative to the latter parallel to the chassis between an inactive position, in which said head is spaced from a tape cassette in an operative position, and an active positive, in which said head is engaged through a first edge portion of a cassette in said operative position with the tape in said casette; supporting means fixed on said chassis for supporting and locating a tape cassette in said operative position on said chassis, said supporting means includes a pair of support members fixed on said chassis and having shouldered portions each defining a first surface facing away from said chassis for engaging the undersurface of the tape cassette near said first edge portion of the latter which is adjacent said head in said active position of the carriage so as to hold the tape in the cassette at a predetermined level in respect to said head when the latter engages the tape and a second surface normal to said first surface for engagement by said first edge portion of the cassette so as to establish the engaging pressure of said head, in said active position of the carriage, against the tape in the cassette in said operative position of the latter; resilient means acting against the edge portion of the cassette which is opposite said first edge portion in said operative position of the cassette for urging said first edge portion against said second surface of each said shouldered portion of the supporting means; a pair of holding members movably mounted on said chassis for movement in respect to the latter between respective cassette holding positions, in which said holding members engage a tape cassette in said operative position from above adjacent said first edge portion of the cassette for securely holding the tape cassette in engagement with each said first surface of the supporting means, and respective cassette releasing positions, in which said holding members are spaced from a tape cassette in said operative position, each of said holding members, in moving from said cassette releasing position to said cassette holding position, moving over the upper surface of a cassette along a path having a component directed toward said first edge portion of the cassette in said operative position so as to also urge said first edge portion against said second surface of each of said shouldered portions of the supporting means; and actuating means for moving said holding members to said cassette holding and releasing positions upon movement of said carriage to said active and inactive positions, respectively.