Compact recording and/or reproducing apparatus with oblique rotary head

A loading mechanism of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a rotary head having a magnetic head rotatable with a rotary head having an essentially flat top surface for recording and/or reproducing information on a magnetic tape housed within a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable to a pair of tape reels housed in a cassette casing of said magnetic tape cassette;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape wound around said tape reels in said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable to various mode positions according to the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus along respectively corresponding predetermined first and second paths, which paths have first ends located near said rotary head and second ends remote from said rotary head and proximal to said first means, for orienting said first and second movable members at said first ends of said first and second paths establishing tape loading for recording and reproduction of information on said magnetic tape;
• third means for mounting said rotary head on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the flat top surface lies oblique to a horizontal plane and the axis of rotation of said rotary head assembly lies oblique to a vertical axis in such a manner that said first ends of said first and second paths and a reference line connecting the uppermost point and the lowermost point on said top surface lie in the same vertical plane, and such that the difference between the lengths of said first and second paths can be minimized;
• and
• fourth means for driving said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths according to said mode of operation of said recording and reproducing apparatus.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• a rotary head having a magnetic head rotatable with a rotary drum having an essentially flat top surface;
• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable to a pair of tape reels housed in a cassette casing of said magnetic tape cassette;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape wound around said tape reels in said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second loading rings carrying first and second movable members, said first and second loading rings being movable to variable angular positions according to the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus and driving said first and second movable members along respectively corresponding predetermined first and second paths, which paths have first ends located near said rotary head and second ends remote from said rotary head and proximal to said first means, for orienting said first and second movable members at said first ends of said first and second paths establishing tape loading for recording and reproduction of information on said magnetic tape;
• third means for mounting said rotary head on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the flat top surface lies oblique to a horizontal plane and the axis of rotation of said rotary head assembly lies oblique to a vertical axis in such a manner that said first ends of said first and second paths and a reference line connecting the uppermost point and the lowermost point on said top surface lie in the same vertical plane, and such that the difference between the lengths of said first and second paths can be minimized;
• and
• fourth means, associated with said reel bases, and cooperative with at least one of said first and second loading rings, for applying brakes to said bases at various braking magnitudes so as to restrict rotation of said reel base in a first braking mode, for exerting resistance to rotation of said reel base but allowing rotation of said reel base at a limited speed in a second braking mode, and for allowing free rotation of said reel bases in a third braking mode, said brake mechanism being cooperative with said second means for varying said braking mode among said first, second and third braking modes according to the position of said second means corresponding the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus;
• and
• fifth means for driving said recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members, along said first and second paths according to said mode of operation of said recording and reproducing apparatus.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising;

• a rotary head means having a magnetic head rotatable with a rotary drum having an essentially flat top surface;
• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable to a pair of tape reels housed in a cassette casing of said magnetic tape cassette;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape wound around said tape reels in said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable to various mode positions according to the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus along respectively corresponding predetermined first and second paths, which paths have first ends located near said rotary head and second ends remote from said rotary head and proximal to said first means,
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the flat top surface lies oblique to a horizontal plane and the axis of rotation of said rotary head assembly lies oblique to a vertical axis in such a manner that said first ends of said first and second paths and a reference line connecting the uppermost point and the lowermost point on said top surface lie in the same vertical plane, and
• fourth means for driving recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths according to said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said fourth means including a loading motor driven to shift said first and second movable members among various mode positions corresponding to said operational modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and a power train adapted to move said first and second members of said second means at different speeds so as to compensate for the difference between the strokes of said first and second members.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable with tape reels housed within said magnetic tape cassette;
• a rotary head means adapted to record and/or reproduce signals on said magnetic tape, said rotary head means being arranged in a position laterally offset from a longitudinally extending center axis extending across a lateral intermediate point between said reel bases;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape from said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable along predetermined first and second paths to various positions for positioning said magnetic tape at one of said various positions corresponding to a selected one of said various operation modes;
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the axis of said rotary head means lies oblique to a vertical axis in such a manner that first ends of said first and second paths, which first ends of said first and second paths lie adjacent said rotary head means and at which said first and second movable members place said magnetic type at a loading mode position for recording and reproduction are arranged on a plane extending though the uppermost point and the lowermost point of the top surface of said rotary head means, and proximal to said first means, whereby the difference between the lengths of maximum stroke of said first and second movable members along said first and second paths can be minimized;
• and
• fourth means for driving recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths to an extent in accordance with said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable with tape reels housed within said magnetic tape cassette;
• a rotary head means adapted to record and/or reproduce signals on said magnetic tape, said rotary head means being arranged in a position laterally offset from a longitudinally extending center axis extending across a lateral intermediate point between said reel bases;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape from said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable along predetermined first and second paths and thus to various positions for positioning said magnetic tape at one of said various positions corresponding to a selected one of said various operation modes;
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the axis of said rotary head means lies oblique to a vertical axis;
• fourth means for driving said recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths to an extent in accordance with said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus;
• and
• fifth means for applying brakes to said reel bases at various braking magnitudes so as to restrict rotation of said reel bases in a first braking mode, for exerting resistance to rotation of said reel bases but allowing rotation of said reel bases at a limited speed in a second braking mode, and for allowing free rotation of said reel bases in a third braking mode;
• sixth means cooperating said fifth means with said second means, for varying said braking mode among said first, second and third braking modes according to the position of said second means corresponding to the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said sixth means setting said fifth means at said first braking mode when said first and second movable members are positioned at a second position and at said third braking mode when said first and second movable members are positioned at a third position.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable with tape reels housed within said magnetic tape cassette;
• a rotary head means adapted to record and/or reproduce signals on said magnetic tape, said rotary head means being arranged in a position laterally offset from a longitudinally extending center axis extending across a lateral intermediate point between said reel bases;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape from said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable along predetermined first and second paths and thus to various positions for positioning said magnetic tape at one of said various positions corresponding to a selected one of said various operation modes;
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the axis of said rotary head means lies oblique to a vertical axis and in such a manner that first ends of said first and second paths, which first ends of said first and second paths lie adjacent said rotary head means and at which said first and second movable members place said magnetic tape at a loading mode position for recording and reproduction, are arranged on a plane extending through the uppermost point and the lowermost point of the top surface of said rotary head means, and proximal to said first means, whereby the difference between the lengths of maximum stroke of said first and second movable members along said first and second paths can be minimized;
• and
• fourth means for driving said recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths according to said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said fourth means including a loading motor driven to shift said first and second movable members among various mode positions corresponding to said operational modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and a power train adapted to move said first and second members of said second means at different speeds so as to compensate for the difference between the strokes of said first and second members.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable with tape reels housed within said magnetic tape cassette;
• a rotary head means adapted to record and/or reproduce signals on said magnetic tape, said rotary head means being arranged in a position laterally offset from a longitudinally extending center axis extending across a lateral intermediate point between said reel bases;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape from said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable along predetermined first and second paths and thus to various positions corresponding to a selected one of said various operation modes;
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the axis of said rotary head means lies oblique to a vertical axis and in such a manner that first ends of said first and second paths, which first ends of said first and second paths lie adjacent said rotary head means and at which said first and second movable members place said magnetic tape at a loading mode position for recording and reproduction, are arranged on a plane extending through the uppermost point and the lowermost point of the top surface of said rotary head means, and proximal to said first means, whereby the difference between the lengths of maximum stroke of said first and second movable members along said first and second paths can be minimized;
• fourth means for driving recording and/or reproducing apparatus through said various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along aid first and second paths according to said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said fourth means including as loading motor driven to shift said first and second movable members among various mode positions corresponding to said operational modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and a power train adapted to move said first and second members of said second means at different speeds so as to compensate for the difference between the strokes of said first and second members;
• and
• fifth means for applying brakes to said reel bases at various braking magnitudes so as to restrict rotation of said reel base in a first braking mode, for exerting resistance to rotation of said reel base but allowing rotation of said reel base at a limited speed in a second braking mode, and for allowing free rotation of said reel bases in a third braking mode;
• and
• sixth means cooperating said fifth means with said second means, for varying said braking mode among said first, second and third braking modes according to the position of said second means corresponding the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said sixth means setting said fifth means at said first braking mode when said first and second movable members are positioned at a second position and at said third braking mode when said first and second movable member are positioned at a third position.

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette, comprising:

• first means for receiving said magnetic tape cassette to drivingly cooperate therewith, said first means including a pair of reel bases engageable with tape reels housed within said magnetic tape cassette;
• a rotary head means adapted to record and/or reproduce signals on said magnetic tape, said rotary head means being arranged in a position laterally offset from a longitudinally extending center axis extending across a lateral intermediate point between said reel bases;
• second means for extracting a predetermined length of magnetic tape from said magnetic tape cassette and moving said predetermined length of magnetic tape to various positions corresponding to various operation modes of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said second means including first and second movable members respectively movable along predetermined first and second paths and thus to various positions for positioning said magnetic tape at one of said various positions corresponding to a selected one of said various operation modes;
• third means for mounting said rotary head means on said recording and/or reproducing apparatus such that the axis of said rotary head means lies oblique to a vertical axis;
• fourth means for driving said recording and/or reproducing apparatus through various modes of operation, said fourth means actuating said second means so as to shift said first and second members along said first and second paths to an extent in accordance with said operational mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus;
• and
• fifth means for applying a brake to said reel bases at various braking magnitudes so as to restrict rotation of said reel bases in a first braking mode, for exerting resistance to rotation of said reel bases but allowing rotation of said reel bases at a limited speed in a second braking mode, and for allowing free rotation of said reel bases in a third mode;
• sixth means comprising a single member cooperating said fifth means with said second means, for varying said braking mode among said first, second and third braking modes according to the position of said second means corresponding to the operation mode of said recording and/or reproducing apparatus, said sixth means setting said fifth means at said first braking mode when said first and second movable members are positioned at a second position essentially corresponding to a recording and reproducing mode position and at said third braking mode when said first and second movable members are positioned at a third position essentially corresponding to a fast feed mode and a rewinding mode.