Magnetic tape cassette box

Claim 1

A storage device for storing flat recording media carriers, such as magnetic tape cassettes, comprising: a housing adapted to receive at least one media carrier, and having a front wall, said front wall having an opening permitting movement of a media carrier between a first, inserted position in said housing and a second, exposed position permitting removal of the media carrier from said housing, a transport means for supporting and moving a media carrier between said first and second positions, said transport means having a front part exhibiting a surface configured to cover at least part of said opening so as to form part of said front wall when a media carrier is in said first position, an indicating means for indicating, when said transport means is in said media carrier containing first position, whether a media carrier is contained therein, said indicating means being mounted on said transport means so as to be actuated upon placing of a media carrier thereon, said front wall having a window permitting optical recognition therethrough of said indicating means, and said indicating means comprising a signal flag, a lever pivotably mounted at said front part and pivotable between a first position and a second position, said lever having a first arm adapted to sense the presence of a media carrier on said transport means and a second arm carrying said signal flag, said first arm, when said lever is in said first position, extending into a space defined by said transport means to be occupied by the media carrier, and said second arm assuming a position indicating the absence of a media carrier in said transport means, said first arm, when said lever is in said second position, being displaced by the media carrier and said second arm assuming a position in which said signal flag is visible through said window, and a resilient means for biasing said lever into said first position.