Tape threading arrangement for 360 degree wrap tape recorder

Claim 1

Apparatus for threading, in a compact arrrangement, a tape around a drum, comprising a deck having the drum mounted thereon and a first and a second pair of slots formed therein, each of said first pair of slots angularly extending about said drum in a first arcuate path that generally follows the circumference of said drum to provide, as a pair, a wrap angle of nearly 360 degrees, each of said second pair of slots angularly extending about said drum to a smaller angular extent than each of said first pair of slots, in a second arcuate path that generally follows said first arcuate path, a first pair of movable guide means respectively disposed in said first pair of slots for wrapping said tape about the drum along said wrap angle, and mean including a second pair of movable guide means respectively disposed in said second pair of slots and actuated by and a variable distance from said first pair of guide means for positioning said tape during threading operation to avoid contact with the portion of the tape wrapped on said drum, said first pair of slots being interposed between said drum and said second pair of slots to maintain a compact threading path for said tape.