Abstract:
A tape cartridge (100) has a front face (102) sized for compatibility with an industry standard tape drive, and has sides longer than the sides of some industry standard cartridges. The sides (106, 108) and top of the housing extend outwardly in width to form a back portion of the cartridge that is wider than the front portion and prevent the cartridge from being inserted into non-compatible tape drives. Two large diameter tape hubs (114, 116) improve the empty hub to full pack diameter ratios, and improve the resulting tangential drive force and tape tension profiles as the tape moves between the hubs. Flanges (115, 117, 119) are permanently bonded to the hubs to prevent the tape packs from shifting and a spring (174) biases the hubs against the baseplate. A back set of rollers (148, 150, 152) includes a high-drag roller that engages the drive belt (136) at a fixed wrap angle and produces a relatively constant drag. A front set of rollers (142, 144, 146) includes a drive roller (146) and has rollers mounted to form substantially equal geometries with rollers in the back set respective to the tape hubs. The constant wrap angle of the high-drag roller tends to outweigh varying drags from other rollers, causing less change in tape tension and tangential drive force as the tape is transferred from hub to hub. A door (160) covers the capstan and media access openings in the front face of the cartridge when the cartridge is outside of a tape drive. A write protect arm (424) is pivotally mounted at the front face of the cartridge.
Abstract:
A tape recorder records and/or reproduces information signals by bringing a magnetic tape into sliding contact with a magnetic head on a rotary head mechanism. This tape recorder comprises a rotary head mechanism including a rotating drum fitted with a magnetic head for bringing the head into sliding contact with running tape, and a fixed drum coaxial with the rotating drum for rotatably supporting the latter; a pair of supporting members rotatably supported on the rotary head mechanism; a pair of capstans rotatably mounted on ends of the supporting members; and a pair of pinch rollers opposed to the corresponding capstans. The pair of supporting members are rotated in accordance with the direction in which the magnetic tape travels. Either one of the capstans is selectively moved toward either one of the pair of the pinch rollers in order to pinch the magnetic tape between the capstan and pinch roller. Further, the capstan and pinch roller cooperate to drive the magnetic tape, thus implementing the switch over in the traveling direction of the magnetic tape.
Abstract:
A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus includes an eject lever for inserting and taking out a cassette, a cassette holding mechanism for loading the cassette on a rotating drum, and tape loading mechanism including running elements to fully load the magnetic tape onto the rotating drum when the cassette holding mechanism is seated. The cassette holding mechanism includes a cassette holder for receiving the cassette, a slider for conveying the cassette holder in horizontal direction and an upper chassis having the rotating drum mounted thereon. The size of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus can be minimized by excluding the general concept requiring that the magnetic tape of the cassette be loaded on the rotating drum according to the horizontal movement of the chassis in the moving deck system consisting of a main and sub-chassis. Moreover, each running element can be controlled by a single driving source. Thus, a pocket-sized magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus as small as the cassette can be realized. A method using switches located on a lower chassis is also described.
Abstract:
A compact cartridge (10) for storing approximately 720 feet of 0.25'' wide magnetic tape (20) comprises a two section plastic enclosure (12, 14) containing two reel spools and associated hubs (16, 18). The tape (20) is reeled on the cartridge spools with the recording surface of the tape (20) facing inward towards the cartridge (10) interior. The cartridge (10) is axially loadable into a recorder, and an aperture (28) in the bottom of the cartridge (10) allows entry of the recorder heads (50) and guides (52) for contacting the tape's recording surface. Leaf spring tight winders (40, 42) are provided to squeegee entrained air from between the turns of the tape (20) as the tape (20) is reeled from one hub (16, 18) to the other. Until the cartridge (10) is seated in the recorder, tape lifters (22, 24) keep the tape (20) clear of the aperture (28) to allow unimpeded positioning of the heads (50) for contact with the tape (20) in the cartridge (10). After the cartridge (10) is seated, the tape lifters (22, 24) release the tape (20), allowing it to wrap the heads (50) and guides (52) of the recorder, and simultaneously the locks (36, 38) on the cartridge hubs (16, 18) are released.
Abstract:
Cassette for data recording, with a tape (4) displaceable between two spools (2, 3) arranged in the cassette, particularly a magnetic tape, wherein mechanisms (6, 7, 9, 12) are provided for bending the tape (4) transversally with respect to the tape conveying direction.
Abstract:
The magnetic tape (8) is brought, as usual, from a first winding axis, by passing on an angling pulley, to a recording area, respectively a reading area, and from there to a second winding axis by passing on another angling pulley (21). In each portion of the cassette located between the recording area, respectively the reading area, and the winding axis, the tape (8) is crowned by a U-shaped clip (25). A slider (74) comprises two separate stop s (81, 82) which, when said slider (74) is in a first, so called normal operating, position retain the clip without interfering with the motion of the tape (8). When the slider (74) is in the second, so called memory operating, position, the clip moves with the tape to come on the winding axis, during the running of the tape, or in a slot, limited by a fixed shoulder (73) of the casing and a surface (83) of the slider (74) wherein it is compressed and stops the tape (8) during the backward motion thereof. Thus, by actuating the slider (74) at a selected location of the tape (8), after a forward motion which follows, and automatic stop is achieved at said selected location, of the subsequent backward motion of the tape.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a tape cassette comprising a first portion adapted for insertion into a tape recorder and connected to a second portion comprising tape storage means and being adapted to be located outside a tape recorder when the first portion is placed therein, the first and second portions being arranged generally side-by-side relative to each other, and wherein the cassette further comprises guide means arranged for guiding the tape "up and out" of the first cassette portion and into the second portion outside the tape recorder comprising the tape storage means, typically in the form of two spools. By this arrangement the cassette can be used in combination with a tape cassette recorder system comprising a tape cassette engaging lift device into which the tape cassette is loaded through a front opening and subsequently displaced downwardly in a shaft into a position where the tape engages the recording means.
Abstract:
A tape cartridge includes a first rotatable hub and a second rotatable hub. The first hub and the second hub are wound so that they are substantially full of the flexible recording tape. The flexible tape between the first and second hub crosses a centerline including the two hubs. Both the first rotatable hub and the second rotatable hub are removable from the cartridge. The cartridge also includes a base, a latch for engaging the first rotatable hub and the second rotatable hub. A cartridge cover covers the latch and base. The tape cartridge is placed into a tape drive for reading and writing to tape media within a tape cartridge. The tape drive includes an apparatus for removing the first hub and second hub from the tape cartridge. The tape drive also includes a first spindle attached to a first arm and a second spindle attached to a second arm.
Abstract:
A tape cartridge (100) has a front face (102) sized for compatibility with an industry standard tape drive, and has sides longer than the sides of some industry standard cartridges. The sides (106, 108) and top of the housing extend outwardly in width to form a back portion of the cartridge that is wider than the front portion and prevent the cartridge from being inserted into non-compatible tape drives. Two large diameter tape hubs (114, 116) improve the empty hub to full pack diameter ratios, and improve the resulting tangential drive force and tape tension profiles as the tape moves between the hubs. Flanges (115, 117, 119) are permanently bonded to the hubs to prevent the tape packs from shifting and a spring (174) biases the hubs against the baseplate. A back set of rollers (148, 150, 152) includes a high-drag roller that engages the drive belt (136) at a fixed wrap angle and produces a relatively constant drag. A front set of rollers (142, 144, 146) includes a drive roller (146) and has rollers mounted to form substantially equal geometries with rollers in the back set respective to the tape hubs. The constant wrap angle of the high-drag roller tends to outweigh varying drags from other rollers, causing less change in tape tension and tangential drive force as the tape is transferred from hub to hub. A door (160) covers the capstan and media access openings in the front face of the cartridge when the cartridge is outside of a tape drive. A write protect arm (424) is pivotally mounted at the front face of the cartridge.
Abstract:
A method of attaching a tape having longitudinal edges to a tape cartridge reel includes cutting an end of the tape non-perpendicularly to the longitudinal edges laterally across the width of the tape. The end of the tape is then attached to the tape cartridge reel. The method may also include cutting an end of the tape such that at least two of the laterally spaced apart servo stripes running longitudinally along the tape are cut at different longitudinal positions along the tape. The method may further include cutting the tape end such that at least two of the laterally spaced apart data tracks running longitudinally along the tape are cut at different longitudinal positions along the tape.