Magnetic tape cassette having reel locks controlled by an optical tape end detecting element
US4918558A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 1988 |
| Grant date | Apr 17, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 21, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B23/08721
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A magnetic tape cassette comprises a compact reel lock mechanism which includes a pair of reel lock arms engaging with outer peripheries of a pair of tape reels, a sliding member serving as a cover for a single opening through which an end of an optical tape end detecting element is inserted into the cassette casing, a cam member which provided on the sliding member for rotating the pair of reel lock arms, and a guide member guiding said sliding member. When the tape cassette is out of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the single opening is closed by the sliding member and the reel lock arms restrict rotation of reels. Conversely, when the tape cassette is inserted into the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the sliding member is pushed up by the end of the optical detecting element and as a result the cam member moves upward along with said sliding member. The opening, therefore, becomes open, and simultaneously the cam member releases engagement between the reel lock arms and the peripheries of tape reels.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.