Device for transporting cassette

Claim 1

A cassette transporting device for transporting a cassette between a loadinig position and an operating position, comprising: a cassette frame adapted to be connected to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus and including at least two spaced, opposed side walls connected to each other, each side wall having inner and outer surfaces, guide means symmetrically arranged in the inner surfaces of the opposed side walls of the cassette frame, said guide means including at each inner surface of the side wall a horizontal groove, and at least one vertical groove communicating with and extending downwardly from the horizontal groove, said at least one vertical groove having a depth shallower than the depth of the horizontal groove, movable guide members slidably situated in the respective horizontal grooves, each movable guide member having a vertical guide groove with a depth equal to that of the at least one vertical groove in the side walls, a cassette support situated inside the cassette frame and adapte to receive a cassette therein, said cassette support having side plates facing the side walls of the cassette frame respectively, and at least one guided projection extending outwardly from the respective side plates and engaging either the vertical guide groove of the movable guide member of the at least one vertical groove of the side wall so that when the at least one guided projection is engaged with the vertical guide groove of the movable guide member, the movable guide member will be received in the horizontal groove to allow the cassette support to move along the horizontal groove, and when the at least one guided projection of the cassette support is positioned above the at least one vertical groove of the side wall, the at least one guided projection will slide onto the at least one vertical groove of the side wall to allow the cassette support to move along the at least one vertical groove of the side wall, and drive means for moving the cassette support along the guide means between the loading position and operating position, said drive means including apertures formed in the respective side walls of the cassette frame to extend along the horizontal groove and the at least one vertical groove of the side walls, drive guides formed on the respective outer surfaces of the side walls of the cassette frame along the apertures, a drive member extending through the apertures of the drive means and the side plates of the cassette support and engaging the drive guides, a drive assembly connected to the drive member to move the drive member along the apertures, and a motor to actuate the drive assembly so that when the motor is actuated, the cassette support moves between the loading position and the operating position.