Tape-loading mechanism for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus for selective use of tape cassettes of two different sizes

Claim 1

In a recording/reproducing apparatus for selective use with a relatively large-size tape cassette and a relatively small-size tape cassette which is smaller than the large-size tape cassette, in combination: (a) a main chassis which lies substantially in a principal plane; (b) first positioning means on the main chassis for positioning the large-size tape cassette thereon; (c) a floating chassis mounted to the main chassis for displacement in a direction at right angles with the principal plane of the main chassis; (d) second positioning means on the floating chassis for positioning the small-size tape cassette thereon; (e) head means provided on the main chassis; (f) tape loader means movably mounted to the main chassis for pulling out a tape from the large-size tape cassette positioned on the first positioning means, or from the small-size tape cassette positioned on the second positioning means, and for holding the tape against the head means; (g) drive means; (h) a floating-chassis drive linkage connecting the drive means to the floating chassis for moving the latter relative to the main chassis between a working position, where the floating chassis has the small-size tape cassette positioned on the second positioning means thereon, and a retracted position where the floating chassis is out of contact with the large-size tape cassette positioned on the first positioning means on the main chassis, the floating chassis being held in the working position; and (i) a tape loader drive linkage connecting the drive means to the tape loader means for moving the latter from a first tape-unloading position where the tape loader means engages the tape of the large-size tape cassette positioned on the first positioning means or second tape-unloading position where the tape loader means engages the tape of the small-size tape cassette positioned on the second positioning means to a tape-loading position where the tape loader means loads the tape, taken out from the large-or small-size tape cassette, against the head means, the tape loader drive linkage being partly in the path of the movement of the floating chassis between the working and the retracted positions only when holding the tape loader means in the second tape-unloading position, the tape loader means being held in the second tape-unloading position; (j) the drive means driving the floating chassis and the tape loader means in timed relationship to each other for moving the floating chassis from the working to the retracted position after moving the tape loader means from the second to the first tape-unloading position when the large-size tape cassette is loaded in the apparatus, and for moving the floating chassis from the retracted to the working position before moving the tape loader means to the second tape-unloading position when the large-size tape cassette is unloaded from the apparatus.