DK143308B - CASSET OR COUNTRY HOUSE FOR A MAGNET TIRE - Google Patents

Description

(19) DENMARK (Φ). VRR /

W (12) PUBLICATION MANUAL OR U3308B

DIRECTORATE OF THE PATENT AND TRADEMARKET SYSTEM

(21) Application No. 5215/75 (51) fnt.CI.3 0 11 B 23/04 (22) Filing date 19 · Nov. 1975 (24) Race day 19 · Nov. 1975 (41) Aim. available May 22, 1976 (44) Posted Aug 5 19δ1 (86) International application no. - (86) International filing day - (85) Transfer day - (62) Master application no. -

(30) Priority 21 Nov. 1974, 142171/74, JP 21 Nov. 1974, 142172/74, JP

Nov 21 1974, 142175/74, JP Dec 10 1974, 149885/74, JP et al.

(71) Applicant MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD., Kadoma-shi, JP.

(72) Inventor Toshlo Morimoto, JP.

(74) Clerk Th. Ostenfeld Patent bureau A / S.

(54) Cartridge or tape housing for a magnetic tape.

The present invention relates to a cassette or tape body for magnetic tapes adapted for use in magnetic recording and / or reproducing apparatus and, moreover, of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

As is well known, a magnetic tape housing is usually referred to as CO

either as a "cartridge" or as a "cassette", depending on the type of magnetic recording and / or reproducing apparatus which will hereinafter be referred to simply as a magnetic tape device.

ISLAND

2 143308 plays. Magnetic tapes stored in a cartridge are a substantially endless loop, whereas tapes in a cassette are not looped and have both ends attached to respective coils.

Recently, miniature tape housings or "microcassettes" have also been developed which have a similar construction as, but are smaller in size than the cassette, and such microcassettes are used in magnetic tape players specially designed for these.

In all cases, the leading edge of conventional magnetic tape housings is formed with at least two access openings, one of which is arranged for a recording and / or reproducing transducer head which is inserted into the opening for sliding contact with the magnetic tape and the other of which is adapted for insertion. of either a drive roller or a pinch roller for propelling the magnetic belt together with the other of these rollers with the magnetic belt lying as an intermediate layer therebetween.

In conventional tape casings of the type set forth above, successive and outwardly extending portions of the magnetic tapes are exposed through the access openings in such a way that the magnetic tapes tend to break or otherwise be damaged. For example, when the magnetic tape in the housing is extinguished, a portion of the tape tends to loosen and bend out of the housing, especially through the access opening of the transducer head, and this will result in one or more directions for breakage and / or bending. This is often the case because a portion of the tape disposed in the access opening of the transducer head is biased outwardly by an elastic retainer member necessary to promote close sliding contact between the transducer head and the magnetic tape during recording or reproduction of audio information on the band.

Moreover, the parts of the magnetic tape located within the access openings tend to be easily touched by, for example, the fingers of a tape player operator while attempting to insert the tape cassette into the magnetic tape player.

Once the magnetic tape has been damaged in any of these aforementioned ways, the function of the magnetic tape will of course be adversely affected.

On the other hand, slacking of the magnetic tape in the housing is obviously a result of the coils to which the respective ends of the magnetic tape are attached and located in the tape housing can rotate freely. To avoid this, certain known band housings contain friction elements, each mounted on a leaf spring or similar elastic element and constantly engaged with the respective coils to expose them to a frictional force.

Since the friction elements are in constant engagement with the respective coils in the tape body also during use in a magnetic tape player, it will be possible for a rotation of that of the coils coupled to a motor driven shaft on the tape player to rewind the tape to this coil from the second coil will be inhibited to such an extent that fluctuations in the magnetic tape transfer rate may occur. Furthermore, successive portions of the magnetic tape as it runs from one coil to the other will be constantly kept under tension, so that the magnetic tape tends to be easily fatigued.

Furthermore, German Patent Publication No. 2,404,967 discloses a tape cassette with a protective cover consisting of a pivotally mounted cover or a flap with associated complicated operating mechanisms for the opening or closing of the cover or flap. This known cassette also contains braking mechanisms for the belt coils with separate brake arms for the two coils and with associated complicated mechanisms for operating these brake arms.

The cassette or tape housing according to the invention is characterized by the characterizing part of claim 1. Due to the fact that the protective tire is slidable perpendicular to the belt plane, and because of the special arrangement of the protective tire, an efficient, more durable and in functional and structural terms, considerably simpler arrangement of the protective tire relative to pivotable covers or flaps is obtained.

The special movement of the protective tire perpendicular to the tape plane can be induced in connection with insertion of the cassette 4 143308 into the tape player. However, the protective deck can also be operated or moved by the transducer head of the tape recorder without substantially complicating intermediary, as is the case in the embodiment of claim 2.

Alternatively and as specified in claim 3, the protective tire can be moved or operated by a tape player manipulation mechanism, thereby obtaining a similar effect as in the embodiment of claim 2, namely that the protective tire is only moved to release the tape when recording or reproduction is taking place. of information on the magnetic tape.

A particularly simple and therefore preferred design of the protective tire itself is specified in claim 5.

The device of the protective tire in the cassette according to the invention also gives rise to a further effect in that the movements of the tire relative to the cassette can be used directly, ie. without complicating intermediaries, for operation and control of a particularly simple braking mechanism for the tape coils. Claim 6 discloses such an embodiment with releasable braking means for both belt coils. These braking means contain a special braking means which can be brought into braking engagement with both strap coils and which can be brought to release the coils as the protective tire is moved to release the strap.

This braking means may conveniently be formed integrally with the protective tire as defined in claim 7, wherein the braking means may also effect a control of the protective tire during its movements.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and with reference to the drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a plan view of a band housing according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of the tape housing of FIG. 1 is a front view; FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the band housing of FIG. 1 with a top cover removed; FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the tape housing of FIG. 1 shown in relation 5 143308 to a magnetic transducer head; FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the tape housing inserted into a tape player with the transducer head held in an operating position; FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the tape housing inserted in a tape player with the transducer head held in a passive position; FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing a band housing according to another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing a band housing according to yet another embodiment of the invention; FIG. 9 is a partial vertical sectional view through a tape housing and a portion of the tape player illustrating another method of opening a protective cover at the tape opening access; and FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8, but showing a further method of opening the protective tire.

Before proceeding to a description of the invention, it should be noted that corresponding or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. Further, it should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity of description, the tape housing of the invention will be described as a cassette with two mutually spaced coils to which the respective ends of a magnetic tape are attached, but it is to be understood that the idea of the present invention may be taken. in use not only in connection with cartridges, but also in connection with microcassettes and tape cartridges.

Referring first to FIG. 1-6, a tape housing in the form of a commercially standardized cassette 10 is shown. The cassette 10 contains two mutually spaced coils 11 and 12 to which the respective ends of a magnetic tape T are attached in some known manner.

Each of the coils 11 and 12 has a double flange configuration and comprises a cylindrical body portion 11a, 12a, both ends of which are formed with radially outwardly extending flanges 11b and 12b and a hub 11c or 12c formed and projecting from each end of the the cylindrical body portion 11a or 12a. These coils 11 and 12 are accommodated in cassette 10 with the hub portions 11c or 12c of each coil mounted in respective bearing openings formed in top and bottom plates 10a and 10b of cassette 10, as best seen in FIG. 4th

These top and bottom plates 10a and 10b are connected to each other in known manner by means of two opposite side walls 13 and 14 as well as a front wall and an opposite rear wall, the rear wall being designated 16, while the front wall is to be understood as composed of separate wall sections. 6 143303 are 15a, 15b, 15c and 15d. As shown at 17a or 17b, a portion of the leading edge of each of plates 10a and 10b is formed as a recess to provide an access opening into which a transducer head may be inserted, as will be described later.

Other access openings 18a and 18b are arranged so that a drive roller 19a and 19b can extend therethrough when the cassette 10 is inserted into a tape player not shown, i.e. when the cassette is placed in a cassette compartment in the tape player. plates 10a and 10b. It should be noted that each of the access openings 18a and 18b may be in the form of a hole or in the form of a recess as shown.

In the construction thus far described, the magnetic band T extends from one coil 12 to the other coil 11, the band being first deflected by a roll 19 and then by another roll 20, and the portion of the magnetic band T extending between the rollers 19 and 20. extends through the access opening of the transducer head by means of slots 21 and 22 formed in the wall portions 15c and 15d, respectively.

± cassette 10 is provided with a displaceable brake arm 23 between the coils 11 and 12, and the plane of this brake arm 23 lies midway between the flanges 11b or 12b on each of the coils 11 and 12, as best seen in FIG. 4th

As is also best seen in FIG. 4, at either end of the brake arm 23, respective upright supports 24a and 24b are rigidly attached or formed, each extending between the top and bottom plates 10a and 10b, so that the brake arm 23 is supported in position with its plane lying substantially at center of the height of each of the coils 11 and 12. This brake arm 23 is movable between an active and a passive position and is held biased by a wire spring 25 in the direction of the active position.

To avoid oblique movements of the brake arm 23 between the active and the passive position, two sets of side guides 26a, 26b and 27a, 27b are used, the two guides of each set being positioned on each side of the brake arm 23 and also serving as spacers between the top and the bottom plates 10a and 10b.

The brake arm 23 carries two separate brake pins 28a and 28b, each having both ends adjacent the outer peripheries of the respective flanges on a corresponding one of the coils 11 and 12. Specifically, the opposite ends of the pin 28a are as long as the brake arm 23 is held in place. the active position, in contact with the respective flanges 7 143308 in lib on the coil 11, and on the other hand, the opposite ends of the pin 28b are in contact with the respective flanges 12b on the coil 12 as shown in FIG. 3, thereby exerting braking forces on the coils 11 and 12. When the brake arm 23 is moved from the active position towards the passive position against the spring 25 in a manner as will be described later, however, the pins 28a and 28b are separated from the flanges 11b and 12b on the the respective coils 11 and 12, thereby allowing the coils 11 and 12 to rotate freely.

Of course, instead of the wire spring 25, for any other purpose, any other spring element, such as a compression or a tension spring or a leaf spring which can fulfill the purpose, can be used.

In the brake arm 23, two separate slots 23a and 23b are formed which, when the brake arm 23 is held in the passive position, are aligned with respective slots 10c and 10d formed on the top plate 10a and the bottom plate 10b, respectively. The operation of these columns 23a and 23b in cooperation with the columns 10c and 10d will be described later. However, it should be noted that when the brake arm 23 is held in the active position as shown in FIG. 1-4, one end of each of the slots 23a and 23b, namely the end lying on the front side relative to the direction of movement of the brake arm from the active position towards the passive position, is partially overlapped by one end of the corresponding slot 10c or 10d, namely the end which is located on the rear side relative to the direction of movement of the brake arm from the active position towards the passive position.

Within the access opening of the transducer head bounded by the recesses 17a and 17b, a retractable protective cover 30 is held in position by the cassette 10. Specifically, the protective cover 30 contains two separate and substantially rectangular plate portions 31 and 32 connected by a wall 33, extending parallel to and behind the portion of the magnetic tape T located between rollers 19 and 20. The height of the wall 33 is selected so that the plate members 31 and 32 can be telescopically retracted into the interior of the cassette 10 on a will be described later in connection with the use and function of the cassette of the invention.

The protective tire 30 of the above construction is supported in position for movement between an extended and a retracted position, and the tire is normally biased against the advanced position of two separate wire springs 34 and 35. It should be noted that the distance between the respective ends of the prewall sections 15b and 15c, which is adjacent to the slots 22 and 21, is chosen to be so much smaller than the width of the plate members 31 and 32 that the advanced position of the protective tire 30 can be determined by these ends of the prewall sections 15b and 15c, which abuts the leading edges of the plate parts 31 and 32.

The protective tire 30 may be integrally formed.

In the embodiment described above, the brake arm 23 and the protective tire 30 were described as being designed separately. As shown in FIG. 8, however, the brake arm and the protective tire may be interconnected or otherwise formed together. This can be achieved, for example, by connecting the upright support 24a in FIG. 1-6 with the trailing edges of the plate parts 31 and 32 of FIG. 1-6. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in which the brake arm 23 and the protective tire 30 are integrally formed, one or more of the following in connection with FIG. 1-6 elements are omitted: The guides 27a and 27b, the slots 23b and 10d as well as either the wire spring 25 or the wire springs 34 and 35.

Even in the embodiment of FIG. 1-6, one of the slots 23a and 23b is not always necessary.

Reference numeral 40 in FIG. 1, 3, 5-8 and 10 represent two holes formed in the cassette 10 and arranged to receive correspondingly not shown guide pins arranged in the cassette chamber of the tape player to keep the cassette in position in the cassette chamber with the tape T aligned exactly with the the transducer head in a well known manner.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1-6, at least one control pin is required for movement of the brake arm 23 from its active to the passive position. Although this control pin is not shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that the control pin has a first end disposed in the cassette player's cassette chamber while the other end is operatively coupled to a manipulation mechanism available to the tape player operator.

When the cassette 10 according to the invention is placed in the cassette chamber in the tape player, the operating pin is inserted through one of the slots 10c and 10d into the cassette 10 and then through that of the slots 23a and 23b which aligns with that of the slots 10c and 10b.

At this point, the control pins are also received in the holes 40 for precisely positioning the cassette in the tape player's cassette chamber.

When the manipulating mechanism is then operated to make the tape player ready for use, the control pin is moved along the slot 10c or 10d, which produces a corresponding movement of the brake arm 21, which can be moved from the active position shown in FIG. 3 and 4 to the passive position shown in FIG. 6, where the brake pins 28a and 28b of the brake arm 23 are separated from the flanges of the coils 11 and 12. The FIG. 6, the braking arm 23 is maintained as long as the cassette 10 is inserted into the cassette chamber of the tape player.

The actuating pin which has been moved to move the brake arm 23 from the active to the passive position may be arranged to return to its original position either as a result of the cartridge 10 being withdrawn from the cassette chamber or the tamper mechanism being returned.

Alternatively, instead of using the manipulation mechanism with the above-described control pin, at least one stationary pin may be used, in which case this stationary pin must project from the bottom of the tape player's cassette chamber into its interior. More specifically, the stationary pin is arranged to have one end rigidly attached to the bottom of the cassette chamber while the other end is tapered in the outward direction so that the brake arm 23 can be moved from the active position to the passive position when the cassette 10 is placed in the the cassette chamber, while the tapered end of the stationary pin extending through the slot 10c or 10d into the cassette 10 is inserted through the slot 23a or 23b of the brake arm 23.

The movement of the protective cover 30 between the extended and retracted positions can be accomplished in many ways. In one of these ways illustrated in FIG. 3-6, two bumps 41 are supported by a movable support plate 42. The movable support plate 42 serves as a support for the transducer device, which in the illustrated case is composed of two transducer heads 43 mounted on the carrier plate side by side . The movable carrier plate 42 can be moved between a passive and an active position in any known manner. When, for example, a known "play" button is pressed down to cause the tape player to reproduce the information recorded on the magnetic tape, or when a known "record" button is pressed together with the "play" button to bring the tape player to record information on the magnetic tape, the movable carrier plate 42 is moved from the one shown in FIG. 3 and 6 to the passive position shown in FIG. 5.

The supports 41 are rigidly mounted on the movable carrier plate 42 on each side of the transducer device and are of the same construction as will be described later with reference to FIG. 4th

As best seen in FIG. 4, each of the studs 41 contains a substantially cylindrical pin with both ends enlarged in diameter to provide a stop 41a and 41b, and the center portion 41c of the pin has a length slightly greater than the width of the magnetic strip T.

As the support plate 42 is moved from the passive position to the active position, the abutments 41a and 41b of the supports 41 will abut against the respective leading edges of the plate parts 31 and 32 which form the protective tire 30. This protects the protective tire 30 from the advanced position. the retracted position against the wire springs 34 and 35. It is therefore clear that the portion of the magnetic belt T which has been protected by the protective tire 30 in the embodiment of FIG. 3, 4 and 6 will be exposed from the protective tire 30 and kept in contact with the transducer heads 43 ready to record or reproduce information on the magnetic tape T as the protective tire 30 moves to the retracted position as shown in FIG. 5th

In FIG. 5, the brake arm 23 is shown to move further beyond the passive position in the direction opposite to the active position. This is because the trailing edges of the plate members 31 and 32 which form the protective tire 30 come into contact with the upright support 24a as the protective tire 30 moves to the retracted position, thereby pushing the brake arm 23 past the passive position. However, if the length of the brake arm 23 is sufficiently small, no contact between the protective tire 30 and the brake arm 23 will occur, which would otherwise occur as described above as the protective tire 30 moves toward the retracted position and therefore the brake arm will not be able to 23 is moved beyond the passive position. In that case, the slots 23a and 23b may be replaced by circular openings.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the heads 43 contact the leading edges of the plate members 31 and 32, thereby pushing the protective tire from the advanced position to the retracted position as the support plate 42 moves from the passive position to the active position against the wire springs 34 and 35.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the protective tire 30 can be moved from the advanced position to the retracted position independently of the movement of the carrier plate 42 from its passive position to the active position. The reason for this is that the brake arm 23 is connected to the protective tire 30, and therefore the movement of the brake arm 23 from its active position towards the passive position by operating the manipulation mechanism or the stationary pin results in moving the protective tire 30 from the advanced position to the retracted position. .

Without using the manipulation mechanism or stationary pin, the movement of both the brake arm 23 and the protective tire 30 from the active position to the passive position and from the passive position to the active position, respectively, can be induced as a result of movement of the carrier plate 42 from its passive position toward the active position in a manner similar to that described above in connection with movement of the protective tire 30 in the embodiment of FIG. 1-6.

When the carrier plate 42 is returned from the active position toward the passive position, the protective tire 30 in the embodiments of FIG. 1-6 and FIG. 7 or the protective tire 30 and the brake arm 23 in the embodiment of FIG. 8 return to the original position under bias from the wire springs 34 and 35. It should also be noted that the clamping rollers 45a and 45b, which cooperate with each of the drive rollers 19a and 19b, are also moved towards the associated rollers 19a and 19b for to drive the belt T as the carrier plate 42 is moved from the passive to the active position as is well known.

Regardless, the protective tire 30 is connected to the brake arm 23 as shown in FIG. 8, or if the protective tire 30 is separated from the brake arm 23 as shown in FIG. 1-7, another method may be used to move the protective tire 30 from the extended toward the retracted position, which will now be described with reference to FIG. 9th

In FIG. 9 includes a pivotable arm 50, one end of which is pivotally connected to a fixed portion of the tape player frame and the other end of which is formed with a gripper recess 50a. The middle portion of the pivot arm 50 extends freely into the interior of the tape player cassette chamber through the side walls of the cassette chamber which faces the front of the cassette. This pivot arm 50 is pivotable between a raised and a lowered position, and the arm is normally biased against the raised position as indicated by a spring element 51, for example a tension spring. The pivot arm 50 is of such length that the protective tire 30, which is substantially constituted by the plate members 31 and 32, is moved to the retracted position when the cassette 10 is fully inserted into the tape player's cassette chamber as shown by fully drawn lines.

The pivot arm 50 of the above described construction can operate as follows: When the cassette 10 is placed in the cassette chamber with the rear edge inserted first as shown in dotted line, the leading edge of the plate portion 32, which forms part of the protective cover 30, rests on the gripper recess 50a. When the cassette 10 is pressed from above by applying a finger pressure, the pivot arm 50 held in the raised position begins to rotate toward the lowered position while the arm exerts a compressive force on the plate portion 32, and thus on the protective tire 30, via the gripper recess. 50a. When the swing movement of the arm 50 to the lowered position is completed as shown in fully drawn lines, the protective tire 30 has completed its movement from the extended to the retracted position, also shown in fully drawn lines.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which the movement of the protective tire 30 from the extended towards the retracted position is induced by the movement of the supports 41 ', which in turn are moved by an operating button 47 independently of the movement of the carrier plate 42' and thus of the transducer device. this connection is understood to cause the movement of the carrier plate 421 in any known manner as described previously in connection with the carrier plate 42 in the embodiment of FIG. 1-6.

The control button 47 has three positions designated "STOP", "FWD" and "FAST WIND", respectively. When the control knob 47 is set to the "STOP" position while the carrier plate 42 'is held in the passive position, the bumps 41' are separated from the protective tire 30, which is consequently held in the advanced position. When the control knob 47 is rotated to the "FWD" position in which the carrier plate 42 'is moved to the active position with the transducer heads 43 in contact with the magnetic belt T, the shocks 41' are moved during displacement of the protective tire 30 to its retracted position. As the control knob 47 is further rotated to the "FAST WIND" position, the bumps 41 'are separated from the protective tire 30 regardless of the position of the carrier plate 42' to allow a rapid rewinding of the magnetic tape from one coil to the other. During the fast flush, the heads 43 can either be in contact with or separate from the magnetic band T. However, it should be noted that turning the knob 47 between the "STOP" and "FWD" positions requires manual operation whenever the knob 47 is desired. turned either from the "STOP" position and to the "FWD" position or vice versa. By contrast, when the control knob 47 is turned to the "FAST WIND" position, the knob will automatically return to the "FWD" position immediately after a manual turning force is removed.

From the above description it will be seen that the access opening for the transducer device may be of a relatively wide width due to the described and specially arranged protective cover. This means that the arrangement according to the invention makes it possible to use two or more magnetic transducer heads arranged side by side. As a result, the recording and / or reproduction characteristics of the magnetic tape player may be improved. Furthermore, the magnetic tape will not be extinguished as the coils 11 and 12 are braked when the cassette is not in use and is taken out of the tape player's cassette chamber.

Claims (5)

Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments shown in the drawing, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. In all embodiments except the one shown in FIG. 8, for example, a single spring element, such as a wire spring or a leaf spring, can be used to bias the protective tire 30 to its advanced position. Furthermore, the brake arm 23 may be of such length that the upright support 42a continually abuts against the trailing edges of the plate members 31 and 32 forming the protective tire 30. This is of course not applicable in the embodiment of FIG. 8, wherein the support 42a is integral with the protective tire 30. A magnetic tape cassette or tape housing and adapted for use in a magnetic recording and / or reproducing apparatus and comprising a first and a second tape coil (11, 12), each of said coils having at least one radially extending flange and which tape coils are pivotally supported in spaced apart position in the cassette or tape housing, a first access opening (17a, 17b) formed on a first narrow side of the cassette or tape housing for accommodating a transducer head arrangement (43) on the magnetic recording and / or reproducing apparatus, which transducer head arrangement is rigidly supported by a carrier plate (42) supported in the magnetic recording and / or reproducing apparatus for movement between a passive and an active position, wherein the transducer head arrangement as the carrier plate moves from the passive to the active position, is brought into contact with a portion of the magnetic tape located within said first access opening and the transducer head arrangement being detached t from this portion of the magnetic tape, when the carrier plate is in its passive position, a second and a third access opening (18a, 18b) are formed at each side of said first access opening, wherein at least one drive member arranged in and / or the reproducing apparatus for propelling the magnetic tape from one coil to the other, arranged to be inserted through any of said second and third access openings when the cassette or tape housing is located in a cassette chamber in the apparatus and the carrier plate is in its active position. , a protective cover (30) arranged at said first access opening (17a, 17b) and movable between a first position, wherein said portion of the magnetic tape is protected, and a second position in which said portion of the magnetic tape is released and may be brought into contact with the transducer head assembly, means (34, 35) for biasing the protective tire toward its first or protective position, the protective tire (30) is carried by the cassette or tape housing (10) in a position adjacent to said first access opening (17a, 17b) and is displaceable relative to the cassette or tape housing back and forth between an extended and retracted position in a direction perpendicular to the the plane of said part of the magnetic belt which lies within the first access opening (17a, 17b), which magnetic belt portion is protected between protruding wall portions (31, 32) on the tire (30) in its extended or protective position, and the AT protective tire (30) , is displaceable to a retracted position against the action of said biasing means, wherein said protruding wall portions release said magnetic band portion to enable contact with the transducer head arrangement through said first access opening. Cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective tire (30) is slidable to the retracted position from the advanced position due to the movement of the transducer head arrangement, while the carrier plate (42) is moved from its passive to the active position. Cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the protective tire (30) is slidable to the retracted position from the advanced position due to operation of a manipulating mechanism in the recording and / or reproducing apparatus in such a way that the protective tire is only held. in the retracted position during recording or reproduction of information on the magnetic tape. Cartridge according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the protective cover (30) is disposed within the cartridge or band housing (10). Cartridge according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the protective tire (30) contains two separate plate parts (31, 32) forming said projecting wall parts, and a spacer wall (33) joining the two plate parts to forming a member of generally H-shaped cross-section, wherein said magnetic strip portion is enclosed extending along the outside of the spacer wall (33) when the protective tire is in its protruding or protective position.