Coin operated video machine

A coin operated video machine for playing pre-recorded video program material on a video tape;

• said video machine comprising, in combination a video tape, a video tape player having a video tape playing mechanism, a coin operated switch in series with said video tape player, and a television monitor connected to said video tape player:
• wherein said video tape player has a video tape playing mechanism in which a video tape is placed to be played;
• and wherein said video tape playing mechanism has a tape transport means having a play mode during which pre-recorded program material on said video tape is played for viewing;
• said tape transport means further having means to initiate a stop mode during which said video tape is not being played, and means to initiate a tape rewind mode during which said video tape is rewound;
• said video tape playing mechanism having a control track reading means incorporated therein;
• there being a plurality of discrete video programs that are pre-recorded seriatim on said video tape, with a plurality of non-program passages being arranged so that there is one non-program passage between consecutive video programs, and wherein each of said non-program passages is at least of a pre-determined length;
• each of said pre-recorded video programs having with it a pre-recorded control track which is readable by said control track reading means incorporated in said tape playing mechanism of said video tape player when said tape playing mechanism is in its play mode, and wherein said control track reading means controls said tape transport means so as to maintain said video tape player in said play mode for so long as said control track is present;
• each of said non-program passages being characterized by the absence of a pre-recorded control track;
• trigger means associated with said control track reading means to initiate the stop mode of said tape transport means when said control track reading means notes the absence of a pre-recorded control track on said video tape;
• said video tape having a front end which is the first part of a completely wound tape to be played, said front end having at least a short pre-recorded video program thereon from the beginning of said tape;
• said video tape having a tail end at the end of said video tape remote from said front end, said tail end being characterized in that it is different than the rest of said video tape;
• said tape playing mechanism having tail end recognition means to recognize said tail end of said video tape, and rewind means to cause said tape playing mechanism to go into its tape rewind mode;
• said coin operated switch being in series with said video playing mechanism to put said video tape playing mechanism into its play mode when said coin operated switch is actuated;
• and
• said television monitor being connected to said video playing mechanism for viewing each video program when said video tape player is in its play mode.