Cassette tape recorder

Claim 2

A cassette tape recorder of the kind using a cassette including a housing which has an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, and in which a magnetic tape wound around one of a pair of hubs supported freely rotatably between the upper and lower walls with one end thereof fixed to that hub is guided toward the other hub along a path extending adjacent to a plurality of openings bored in the front wall to be wound around the other hub with the other end thereof fixed to the latter hub, the tape being adapted to be fed at a predetermined take-up speed during recording and reproduction, comprising: a base; a supply turntable and a take-up turntable mounted freely rotatably to said base and having a center-to-center distance equal to that of said hubs in said cassette; means mounted to said base for positioning and maintaining said cassette in a predetermined cassette mounting position such that said cassette is positioned with its front wall directed toward the rear side of said base and said hubs are brought into rotating engagement with said supply and take-up turntables respectively; a slide member arranged for sliding movement and carrying at least a recording-reproducing head and a pinch roller at positions opposite to the openings in the front wall of said cassette maintained in the predetermined cassette mounting position; guide means mounted on said base member with respect to guide slots formed in said slide member for guiding said slide member in its movement toward and away from the front side of said base; spring means for biasing said slide member away from the front side of said base to hold said recording-reproducing head and said pinch roller spaced from said cassette; a pivot disposed beneath said base on the rear wall side of said cassette; a play button lever pivoted to said pivot for swinging movement around said pivot, said play button lever including an outwardly protruding portion mounted to a play button and an upwardly extending portion extending upwardly through a slot in said base and a slot formed in said slide member, whereby said upwardly extending portion contacts said slide member and presses said slide member toward the front side of said base to bring the at least one recording-reproducing head and pinch roller into an operative position in response to depression swinging movement of said play button against the biasing force of said spring means; and means for feeding said tape at the predetermined take-up speed toward said take-up turntable by operating in interlocking relation with the swinging movement of said play button.

Claim 3

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide means include two bushes fitting respectively shafts of said supply and take-up turntables and mounted to said base.

Claim 4

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises two bushes and a guide member mounted to said base, said two bushes fitting respectively shafts of said supply and take-up turntable, said guide member being disposed at such a position that said recording-reproducing head is situated at substantially the center of gravity of a triangle by the two shafts and said guide member in the play mode taking place by the depression of said play button.

Claim 5

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pinch roller is supported freely rotatably by a pinch roller arm which is mounted for swinging movement around a pivot fixed to the slide member on the side of said recording-reproducing head, said recording-reproducing head being mounted on a molded member fixed to said slide member, said molded member including an extension extending to a position directly above said pinch roller arm to prevent escapement of said pinch roller arm from said pivot.

Claim 6

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said play button lever in response to depression swinging movement of said play button causes movement of said slide member and advancement of said recording-reproducing head and said pinch roller into said cassette through said openings until said head and pinch roller are brought into engagement with the tape of said cassette.

Claim 7

A cassette tape recorder of the kind using a cassette including a housing which has an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, and in which a magnetic tape wound around one of a pair of hubs supported freely rotatably between the upper and lower walls with one end thereof fixed to that hub is guided toward the other hub along a path extending adjacent to a plurality of openings bored in the front wall to be wound around the other hub with the other end thereof fixed to the latter hub, the tape being adapted to be fed at a predetermined take-up speed during recording and reproduction, comprising: a base; a supply turntable and a take-up turntable mounted freely rotatably to said base and having a center-to-center distance equal to that of said hubs in said cassette; means mounted to said base for positioning and maintaining said cassette in a predetermined cassette mounting position such that said cassette is positioned with its front wall directed toward the rear side of said base and said hubs are brought into rotating engagement with said supply and take-up turntables respectively; a slide member carrying at least a recording-reproducing head and a pinch roller at positions opposite to the openings in the front wall of said cassette maintained in the predetermined cassette mounting position, said slide member extending on said base from the area adjacent to the front wall of said cassette beyond the area including said supply and take-up turntables; first guide means including guide members mounted on said base member with respect to guide slots formed in said slide member and for guiding said slide member toward and away from the front side of said base; first spring means for biasing said slide member away from the front side of said base to hold said recording-reproducing head and said pinch roller spaced from said cassette; a brake member disposed above said slide member and extending substantially between said turntables and the rear wall of said cassette; second guide means for guiding said brake member toward and away from said supply and take-up turntables; second spring means for biasing said brake member toward said turntables to make braking engagement therewith; a pivot disposed beneath said base on the rear wall side of said cassette; a play button lever pivoted to said pivot for swinging movement around said point, said play button lever including an outwardly protruding portion mounted to a play button and a portion extending upwardly through a slot in said base and a slot formed in said slide member and a slot formed in said brake member, whereby said upwardly extending portion contacts said slide member and said brake member and presses said slide member and said brake member toward the front side of said base to bring the at least one recording-reproducing head and pinch roller into an operative position in response to depression swinging movement of said play button against the biasing forces of said first and second spring means; and means for feeding said tape at the predetermined take-up speed toward said take-up turntable by operating in interlocking relation with the swinging movement of said play button.

Claim 8

A cassette tape recorder of the kind using a cassette including a housing which has an upper wall, a lower wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls, and in which a magnetic tape wound around one of a pair of hubs supported freely rotatably between the upper and lower walls with one end thereof fixed to that hub is guided toward the other hub along a path extending adjacent to a plurality of openings bored in the front wall to be wound around the other hub with the other end thereof fixed to the latter hub, the tape being adapted to be fed at a predetermined take-up speed during recording and reproduction, comprising: a base; a supply turntable and a take-up turntable mounted freely rotatably to said base and having a center-to-center distance equal to that of said hubs in said cassette; means mounted to said base for positioning and maintaining said cassette in a predetermined cassette mounting position such that said cassette is positioned with its front wall directed toward the rear side of said base and said hubs are brought into rotating engagement with said supply and take-up turntables respectively; a slide member carrying at least a recording-reproducing head and a pinch roller at positions opposite to the openings in the front wall of said cassette maintained in the predetermined cassette mounting position, said slide member extending on said base from the area adjacent to the front wall of said cassette beyond the area including said supply and take-up turntables; first guide means including guide members mounted on said base member with respect to guide slots formed in said slide member and for guiding said slide member toward and away from the front side of said base; first spring means for biasing said slide member away from the front side of said base to hold said recording-reproducing head and said pinch roller spaced from said cassette; a brake member disposed above said slide member and extending substantially between said turntables and the rear wall of said cassette; second guide means for guiding said brake member toward and away from said supply and take-up turntables; second spring means for biasing said brake member toward said turntables to make braking engagement therewith; a pivot disposed beneath said base on the rear wall side of said cassette; a play button lever pivoted to said pivot for swinging movement around said point, said play button lever including an outwardly protruding portion mounted to a play button and a portion extending upwardly through a slot in said base and a slot formed in said slide member and a slot formed in said brake member, whereby said upwardly extending portion contacts said slide member and said brake member and presses said slide member and said brake member toward the front side of said base to bring the at least one recording-reproducing head and pinch roller into an operative position in response to depression swinging movement of said play button against the biasing forces of said first and second spring means; and means for feeding said tape at the predetermined take-up speed toward said take-up turntable by operating in interlocking relation with the swinging movement of said play button.

Claim 9

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second guide means comprises a slot bored in an upwardly bent portion of said base and a recess formed in a retainer which is disposed on said base to underlie said cassette adjacent to one end of the lower wall of said cassette, said brake member being guided at one end thereof by said slot and at the other end thereof by said recess, said retainer having a pin extending upwardly integrally therefrom to bear against said cassette.

Claim 10

A cassette tape recorder as claimed in claim 6, wherein said play button lever in response to depression swinging movement of said play button causes movement of said slide member and advancement of said recording-reproducing head and said pinch roller into said cassette through said openings until said head and pinch roller are brought into engagement with the tape of said cassette.