US 2004/0159566 A1Published application

Cassette holder

AssigneeVictor Company of Japan, Ltd.

InventorsKouhei Yamashita, Jo Ebara

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Abstract

A cassette holder for a large and a small cassette to be selectively loaded. An upper surface of a frame is a part of a bottom surface of a cassette opening having a size fitting the large cassette, through which the large or the small cassette is to be loaded. A pair of positioning-restriction elements is provided inside the cassette holder when viewed from the opening provided on the front panel. The distance between the restriction elements has a width enough for the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to a predetermined position in the cassette holder. A cassette detector detects the large cassette when this cassette is loaded through the cassette opening. At least a part of the cassette detector is positioned so that it is closer to a front-end section of the cassette opening than the positioning-restriction elements are when viewed from the cassette opening. A drive mechanism moves the restriction elements from positions at which the restriction elements allow the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to other positions at which the restriction elements do not obstruct the large cassette to be loaded, when the cassette detector detects the large cassette. A pair of flaps is positioned so that each flap is closer to the front-end section of the cassette opening than the positioning-restriction elements are when viewed from the cassette opening. The distance between the flaps has a width enough for the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to the predetermined position in the cassette holder. The flaps are opened to allow the large cassette to be loaded when the flaps are pushed by the large cassette whereas they are engaged with the restriction elements to obstruct the small cassette to be loaded when at least either of the flaps is pushed by the small cassette.

A cassette holder into which a large cassette and a small cassette are selectively loaded, the small cassette having a width smaller than a width of the large cassette, the cassette holder comprising:

a frame, an upper surface of the frame being a part of a bottom surface of a cassette opening having a size that fits the large cassette, the large or the small cassette being to be loaded through cassette opening;
a pair of positioning-restriction elements, provided inside the cassette holder when viewed from the cassette opening, a distance between the positioning-restriction elements having a width enough for the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to a predetermined position in the cassette holder;
a cassette detector to detect the large cassette when the large cassette is loaded through the cassette opening, at least a part of the cassette detector being positioned as being closer to a front-end section of the cassette opening than the positioning-restriction elements being when viewed from the cassette opening;
a drive mechanism to move the positioning-restriction elements from positions at which the positioning-restriction elements allow the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to other positions at which the positioning-restriction elements do not obstruct the large cassette to be loaded, when the cassette detector detects the large cassette;
and
a pair of flaps, each flap being positioned as being closer to the front-end section of the cassette opening than the positioning-restriction elements being when viewed from the cassette opening, a distance between the flaps having a width enough for the small cassette to be loaded therebetween to the predetermined position in the cassette holder, the flaps being opened to allow the large cassette to be loaded when the flaps are pushed by the large cassette whereas the flaps being engaged with the positioning-restriction elements to obstruct the small cassette to be loaded when at least either of the flaps is pushed by the small cassette.

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Abstract

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