Demagnetizing apparatus

A demagnetizing apparatus comprising:

• a magnet assembly comprising a magnet and a spindle, said spindle defining at least one axial shaft;
• a housing which comprises a guide track which receives the shaft;
• and
• a drive unit drivingly coupled to the magnet assembly to rotate the magnet assembly to cause the magnet to spin about the axis of the shaft and the axial shaft to spin within the guide track, the rotational motion of the shaft against the guide track developing a propulsive force which causes the magnet assembly to move along the guide track as the magnet assembly rotates.

An apparatus for demagnetizing tape equipment comprising:

• a cassette shell defining a front edge, two drive shaft openings, each positioned to receive a respective drive shaft, two spaced openings, each spaced to receive a respective capstan, and a tape head opening positioned to admit a tape head, said two spaced openings and said tape head opening positioned near said front edge of the cassette shell;
• a guide track oriented to extend along at least a portion of the front edge in a spaced relationship to the two spaced openings and the central opening;
• a magnet assembly comprising a magnet and a spindle positioned to rotate within and to move along the guide track such that the guide track determines the minimum separation between the magnet and the two spaced openings and the minimum separation between the magnet and the tape head opening;
• and
• means for spinning the magnet assembly to cause the magnet to rotate with respect to the cassette shell and the spindle to spin within the guide track to cause the magnet assembly to move along the guide track.

An apparatus for demagnetizing tape equipment comprising:

• a cassette shell;
• a guide track defined by the cassette shell;
• a rotatable magnet assembly, said assembly comprising a magnet and a spindle positioned to rotate within and move along the guide track;
• first and second hubs rotatably mounted within the cassette shell;
• a drive belt positioned around the hubs such that rotation of the hubs causes the belt to move;
• said guide track, magnet assembly, hubs and drive belt positioned and dimensioned such that the drive belt is drivingly engaged with the magnet assembly and rotation of the hubs causes the magnet assembly spindle to rotate within and move along the guide track.

An apparatus for demagnetizing a tape head and at least one capstan of a tape player, said apparatus comprising:

• a cassette shell defining a capstan opening positioned to receive a capstan, a tape head opening positioned to receive a tape head, and two spaced drive shaft openings, each positioned to receive a respective drive shaft, said cassette shell having an interior surface which defines two opposed, substantially oval-shaped grooves extending around the drive shaft openings such that both the tape head opening and the capstan opening are positioned outside the guide track;
• two hubs, each rotationally mounted to the cassette shell and centered on a respective one of the two drive shaft openings;
• a drive belt extending around the hubs within the guide track;
• a magnet spindle defining two opposed guide shafts, each positioned to rotate within and move along a respective one of the two grooves;
• a magnet mounted on the spindle to rotate with the spindle;
• said grooves positioned, and said hubs, drive belt, spindle, and magnet dimensioned such that the belt drivingly engages the magnet and rotation of the hubs causes the magnet to spin about the axis of the guide shafts and the guide shafts to frictionally engage the grooves to propel the spindle and magnet along the grooves.