Tape player changing mechanism

Claim 1

A tape player having a drive motor mounted to the player frame and comprising: a driving gear driven by a motor of the tape player; two frame-mounted cam gears disposed on opposite sides of said driving gear, each of them having a cut-off section at a part of its periphery; two cams, each of them being formed as a unitary body with one of said cam gears respectively; first and second mode plates each slidably movable between retracted and extended positions, said cams being respectively coupled to drive said mode plates; a head plate mounted for movement between retracted and advanced positions; biasing means for urging said head plate towards said retracted position; coupling means operable between a decoupled and a coupled condition for releasably coupling said mode plates to said head plate so that in said coupled condition movement of a mode plate from said retracted to said extended position thereof urges said head plate from said retracted to said advanced position thereof, and so that in said decoupled condition said head plate is moved to said retracted position by said biasing means; first and second electromagnetic plunger means for selectively locking each of said mode plates at a position corresponding to the advanced position of said head plate; a rotatably mounted joint plate coupled to said mode plates so as to be rotated about a centered neutral position responsively to relative movement of said mode plates with respect to each other; a fast forward and reverse drive plate coupled to said joint plate and movable between a play position and a fast forward or reverse position depending on the rotational position of said joint plate; and a search link pivotally mounted at one end to said frame and coupled to be rotated to offset positions about a central neutral orientation responsively to said relative movement of said mode plates with respect to each other during advancement of said head plate, said search link having an engaging portion provided at the other end thereof; and arresting portions provided on said head plate configured to selectively engage said engaging portion of said search link according to the rotational state thereof as said head plate advances, said arresting portions being configured as a ramified hole having a U-shaped ditch and a recess slot formed on either side of said U-shaped ditch, said U-shaped ditch being configured to engage said search link engaging portion when said search link is in said centered orientation so as to arrestingly terminate the advancing movement of said head plate at said advanced positions thereof, said recess slots being configured to engage said engaging portion when said search link is in an offset position to arrestingly terminate said head plate advance at a position intermediate said advanced and retracted positions thereof, said coupling means including: a lock link coupled so as to rotate from a dormant to an active position when either of said electromagnetic plunger means is excited and to return to said dormant position when both of said plunger means is de-energized; a lock plate disposed movably over a limited range on said lock link; and linkage means for linking said lock plate with said head plate by engaging said lock plate with said mode plates when the lock link is rotated to said active position.