GB1564015A - Recording and/or playback apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(54) RECORDING AND/OR PLAYBACK APPARATUS (71) We, PHILIPS ELECTRONIC AND ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES LIMITED, of Abacus House, 33 Gutter Lane, London, EC2V 8AH, a British Company, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a recording and/ or playback apparatus for use with a record carrier which is accommodated in a cassette, which apparatus comprises a cassette holder which is pivotably supported by two Co- axial journals which are mounted on the holder and are rotatable in respective bearing elements on the apparatus to permit pivotal movement of the cassette holder between a cassette loading position and an operating position. Such apparatus is known from, for example, United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 1,333,508.

In such apparatus a cassette is inserted manually or automatically into the cassette holder when the latter is in the loading position, after which the cassette holder, with the cassette contained therein, is brou't into the operating position either manually or by means of a power-drum mechanism.

In the operating position of the cassette holder the cassette and the record carrier accommodated therein co-operate with tile apparatus components necessary for performing the various apparatus functions.

such as, for example, positioning elements for the cassette and drive elements, guide elements and scanning elements for the re cord carrier. It is obvious that these apparatus components, and in particular those components which co-operate with the mov ing record carrier, are subject to some de gree of wear, and that it is consequently necessary to carry out maintenance, cleaning and inspection activities on these com ponents and, when necessary, to replace them, so as to ensure that the apparatus is always in an optimum operating condition.

However, carrying out the above activities generally entails substantial problems in the known apparatus, because even when the cassette holder has been pivoted from the operating position into the loading position the relevant apparatus components are accessible only with difficulty, if at all, owing to the limited pivoting range of the cassette holder and the space occupied by the holder.

According to the invention there is provided a recording and/or playback apparatus for use with a record carrier which is accommodated in a cassette, the apparatus comprising a cassette holder which is pivotably supported by two coaxial journals which are mounted on the holder and are rotatable in respective bearing elements on the apparatus to permit pivotal movement of the cassette holder between a cassette loading position and an operating position, wherein the bearing elements each have an opening through which the respective journal can be inserted in and removed from the bearing element by translational movements of the cassette holder in directions perpendicular to the axis of the jornals in order to permit mounting of the cassette holder on and its removal from the apparatus, and wherein for each bearing element there is provided a spring-loaded latch which is movable against its spring-loading from a closed position in which it retains the re respective journal in the corresponding bearing element to an open position in which it releases the journal for removal from the bearing element, means being provided for limiting movement of the cassette holder in the direction towards the loading position from the operating position in order to define the loading position, which means are manually movable to remove said limitation and free the cassette holder for movement beyond the loading position, and :Ile cassette holder being provided with means which, upon movement of the cassette holder through a given distance beyond the loading position, engage the latches and move them to their open positions.

In this apparatus the cassette holder can be removed from the apparatus by a simple operation for which no tools or other aids are required, so that the components of the apparatus which co-operate with the cassette and the record carrier are readily accessible for maintenance and like purposes, whilst during normal operation of the apparatus the cassette container can be moved between the loading position and the operating position in a safe manner without the risk of inadvertent removal of the cassette holder.

The pivotal movement of the cassette holder in said direction towards the loading position can be limited by a simple stop means on the apparatus, such as a stop or a pawl, which is manually movable so as to enable the cassette holder to be moved beyond the loading position to open the latches so that the holder can be removed from the apparatus by hand. In a preferred embodiment of the invention however, the means for limiting the pivotal movement of the cassette holder in said direction towards the loading position comprising a pivotable lever which is connected to the cassette holder via a guide means for the lever and which is loaded by a spring in the direction in which this lever is moved when the cassette holder is pivoted in said direction towards the loading position, the lever being movable by hand against the spring-loading to disconnect the lever from the cassette holder at a position of the holder intermediate the operating position and the loading position.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, two parts constituted by the lever and the cassette holder respectively may be formed one with a slot and the other with a pin which is slidable in the slot and which forms therewith the guide means for said lever, the part which is formed with the slot being formed also with an opening through which the pin can be removed from the slot at said intermediate position of the casette holder, and said part also being formed with a guide surface for guiding the pin towards said opening during movement of the cassette holder towards said intermediate position from the loading position when the cassette holder is being mounted on the apparatus.

For mounting the cassette holder on the apparatus, the latches can be manually moved to their open positions to permit insertion of the journals in the bearing elements. However, to simplify the mounting operation, each latch may have a surface with which the respective journal cooperates to move the latch to the open position as the journal is moved towards the opening in the associated bearing element during insertion of the journal in the bearing element when the cassette holder is being mounted on the apparatus.

A video tape recording and/or playback apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 to 4 are side views of those parts of the apparatus which are relevant to the invention, Fig. 1 showing the cassette holder in the loading position, Fig. 2 in the operating position, Fig. 3 in a position intermediate the loading and the operating position, and Fig. 4 in a position beyond the loading position.

The recording and/or playback apparatus shown in the drawings comprises a deck plate 1, which carries a drum 2 comprising a stationary section 3 and a section 5 which is rotatable about a spindle 4 and on which are mounted, for example, two magnetic heads, not shown. The cylindrical surface of the drum 2 serves for guiding a record carrier in the form of a magnetic tape, which is wound helically around the drum and which co-operates with the magnetic heads on the rotatable section 5. The tape, designated 6, is accommodated in a cassette 7 and extends in this cassette from a reel 8 to a second, coaxially disposed reel 9 via guide means, not shown, a part 10 of the tape 6 extending across an opening 11 formed in a side wall of the cassette, so that this part can be withdrawn from the cassette.

For pulling the tape 6 out of the cassette 7 and positioning it around the cylindrical surface of the drum 2, a threading means 12 is provided, which comprises a ring 13 which is rotatable around the drum 2 and on which a guide pin 14 is mounted. When the cassette 7 is brought into the operating position (see Fig. 2) the pin 14 engages behind the part 10 of the tape 6 and when the threading means 12 is rotated this pin lays a loop of the tape 6 around the cylindrical surface of the drum 2.

For bringing the cassette 7 into the operating position the apparatus comprises a cassette holder 15 which is pivotable between a loading position and an operating position. The holder is pivotally supported at its near end by two coaxial journals 16 which project one from each side of the holder (only one of the journals can be seen in the drawings) and which are rotatable in bearing elements 17 mounted on the deck plate 1. The loading position of the cassette holder is defined by limiting, in a manner to be described hereinafter, the pivotal movement of the cassette holder in the direction of the loading position. When the cassette holder 15 is in the loading position shown in Fig. 1, a cassette 7 can be inserted in the direction of the arrow 20 into the cassette holder through an opening 19 at the front end 18 of the holder, a stop 21 mounted inside the holder ensuring that the inserted cassette 7 is correctly positioned in the holder.

A cassette which has thus been inserted in the cassette holder 15 can be brought into the operating position by manually pivoting the cassette holder in the direction of the arrow 22 into the operating position shown in Fig. 2. As previously stated, the guide pin 14 then engages with the part 10 of the tape 6 in the cassette 7, whilst two coaxially disposed winding spindles 23 and 24 which project from the deck plate 1 become coupled to the tape reels 8 and 9 in the cassette. The winding spindles are provided for driving the reels to transport the tape from one reel to the other. For retaining the cassette holder 15 in the operating position, which is determined by the engagement of the bottom 25 of the cassette holder with the deck plate 1, a pivotable latching lever 28 is provided which is urged against a fixed stop 27 by a spring 26. The lever 28 has a hooked end which, in the operating position of the cassette holder.

co-operates with a hook 29 which is formed on a flange 30 which projects downwardly from the bottom 25 of the cassette holder 15 in line with a side wall of the holder. In the operating position the cassette 7 and the tape 6 contained therein co-operate with various apparatus components. The tape 6, for example, co-operates with the guide pin 14, with the cylindrical surface of the drum 2 and with the magnetic heads disposed on the rotary section 5 of the drum, and also with other apparatus components, not shown, such as a tape-drive capstan, a pressure roller, stationary magnetic heads and the like. The reels 8 and 9 in the cassette co-operate with the winding spindles 23 and 24. Furthermore, special cassette positioning means, cassette stop means and sensing elements for detecting the type of cassette used may be provided. All these apparatus components are subject to wear and/or soiling, which necessitates inspection and maintenance operations. Such operations should be carried out quickly and simply, which in particular demands an easy accessibility of said components of the apparatus. However, the presence of the cassette holder, even when it is in the loading position, impedes such accessibility.

In order to enable the above requirements to be met in a simple manner, the bearing elements 17 each have an opening 31 through which the relevant journal 16 can be inserted in and removed from the bearing element by translational movements of the cassette holder 15 in directions perpendicular to the axis of the journals 16.

For retaining each journal 16 in the respective bearing element 17, an associated latch 33 is provided which is manually pivotabie against the action of an associated spring 32 from a closed position (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) in which it engages over the respective journal 16, to an open position (Fig. 4) in which it releases the journal. Thus in order to insert the journals 16 in and remove them from the bearing elements 17, it is necessary to move the latches 33. Inadvertent opening of the latches by the journals themselves is prevented by suitably shaping the latches. The said limitation of the pivotal movement of the cassette holder 15 in the direction of the loading position (opposite to the direction of the arrow 22) can be removed by hand, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The cassette holder 15 can then be moved beyond the loading position, and it is not unfll then that, as is shown in Fig. 4, the latches 33 are displaced to release the journals 16. This displacement of the latches is effected by means of pins 34 which project from the side walls of the cassette holder 15 and which pivot the latches 33 rearwardly against the action of the springs 32 to release the journals 16 so that the cassette holder can be removed from the apparatus simply by withdrawing the journals from the bearing elements 17.

When the cassette holder has been removed from the apparatus the above-mentioned apparatus components, in particular the drum 2, are readily accessible.

For limiting the pivotal movements of the cassette holder 15 in the direction of the loading position and thus defining the loading position, as well as for manually removing this limitation of the pivotal movement of the cassette holder, a lever 37 is provided which is pivotable about a spindle 35 and loaded by a tension spring 36, and which is connected to the cassette holder 15 via a guide means 38. The guide means 38 is constituted by a pin 39 on the lever 37 and a slot 40 in the flange 30 which projects from the bottom 25 of the cassette holder 15, the pin 39 engaging slidably in the slot 40. The spring 36 urges the lever 37 in the direction indicated by an arrow 41, in which directions the lever 37 is moved when the cassette holder 15 is pivoted in the direction of the loading position. In the loading position of the cassette holder 15 the pin 39 is located at an end 42 of the slot 40, thus limiting the pivotal movement of the cassette holder in the direction of the loading position and thereby defining this position (see Fig. 1). In order to enable this limitation to be manually removed the flange 30 is formed with an opening 43 through which, as shown in Fig. 3, the pin 39 on the lever 37 can be fitted into or removed from the slot 40 when the cassette holder 15 is in a position intermediate the operating position and the loading position.

In this intermediate position of th,, cassette holder it is not possible to remove the holder from the apparatus even when the connection with the lever 37 has been released, because the latches 33 still hold the journals 16 in the bearing elements 17. Only when, after releasing the connection with the lever 37, the cassette holder is pivoted beyond the loading position to displace the latches 33 rearwardly as described above and thereby release the journals 16, can the cassette holder be removed from the apparatus.

When the cassette holder 15 is moved only between tthe loading position and the operating position, the guide means 38 provides a constant connection between the lever 37 and the cassette holder since the pin 39 is inhibited from leaving the slot 40 via the opening 43 by the action of the spring 36, which acts on the lever 37 in a direction to urge the pin 39 against the side of the slot which is opposite that in which the opening 43 is formed. This ensures that the cassette holder can be pivoted between the loading position and the operating position without risk of the lever 37 becoming inadvertently disconnected from the cassette holder.

Thus, starting from the loading position (Fig. 1), two movements of the cassette holder 15 must be performed for removing the cassette holder from the apparatus: first, the cassette holder must be moved from the loading position to the intermediate position (Fig. 3) to ailow the lever 37 to be uncoupled from the cassette holder by pivoting the lever 37 to remove the pin 39 from the slot 40 through the opening 43, and subsequently the cassette holder must be moved in the opposite direction beyond the loading position sufficient to disengage the latches 33 from the journals 16. In this manner inadvertent removal of the cassette holder from the apparatus is substantially precluded, whilst intentional removal of the holder can be carried out in a simple manner.

The tension spring 36 which acts on the lever 37 is extended by the movement of the cassette holder 15 from the loading position to the operating position and thus serves also for returning the cassette holder from the operating position to the loading position, the spring acting on the cassette holder via the lever 37 and the lever guide means 38. In order to facilitate the necessary pivotal movement of the lever 37 for disconnecting this lever from the cassette holder, the lever 37 may be provided with a handle.

However, the pin 39 on the lever may also be used for this purpose.

When the cassette holder 15 has been removed from the apparatus, the spring 36 holds the lever 37 against a stop 47. Each latch 33 is returned to the closed position by the respective spring 32 and bears against a stop 44. In order to simplify remounting the cassette holder on the apparatus, each latch 33 has a surface 45 with which the relevant journal 16, when it is moved towards the opening 31 of the associated bearing element 17, slidably engages to displace the latch 33 rearwardly against the action of the spring 32 sufficiently for the journal to enter the bearing element, the latch being released by the journal during the last phase of the movement thereof and returning to the closed position under the influence of the spring 32 to retain the journal in the bearing element. Thus the journals automatically actuate the latches during the fitting of the cassette holder onto the apparatus. A portion 46 of the edge of the flange 30 extending rearwardly from the opening 43 forms a guide surface 46 with which the pin 39 on the lever 37 slidably engages during the movement of the cassette holder towards the loading position in the direction of the arrow 22 when the cassette holder has been fitted onto the apparatus. As the cassette holder is moved further in this direction the pin 39 is held in sliding engagement with this guide surface against the action of the spring 36 until the pin reaches the opening 43, when the pin is moved into the slot 40 through the opening 43 under the influence of the spring 36. Thus the guidance of the lever 37 and the connection between this lever and the cassette holder 15 are automatically restored.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A recording and/or playback apparatus for use with a record carrier which is accommodated in a cassette, the apparatus comprising a cassette holder which is pivotably supported by two coaxial journals which are mounted on the holder and are rotatable in respective bearing elements on the apparatus to permit pivotal movement of the cassette holder between a cassette loading position and an operating position, wherein the bearing elements each have an opening through which the respective journal can be inserted in and removed from the bearing element by translational movements of the cassette holder in directions perpendicular to the axis of the journals in order to permit mounting of the cassette holder on and its removal from the apparatus, and wherein for each bearing element there is provided a spring-loaded latch which is movable against its spring-loading from a closed position in which it retains the respective journal in the corresponding bearing element to an open position in which it releases the journal for removal from the bearing element, means being provided for

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. In this intermediate position of th,, cassette holder it is not possible to remove the holder from the apparatus even when the connection with the lever 37 has been released, because the latches 33 still hold the journals 16 in the bearing elements 17. Only when, after releasing the connection with the lever 37, the cassette holder is pivoted beyond the loading position to displace the latches 33 rearwardly as described above and thereby release the journals 16, can the cassette holder be removed from the apparatus. When the cassette holder 15 is moved only between tthe loading position and the operating position, the guide means 38 provides a constant connection between the lever 37 and the cassette holder since the pin 39 is inhibited from leaving the slot 40 via the opening 43 by the action of the spring 36, which acts on the lever 37 in a direction to urge the pin 39 against the side of the slot which is opposite that in which the opening 43 is formed. This ensures that the cassette holder can be pivoted between the loading position and the operating position without risk of the lever 37 becoming inadvertently disconnected from the cassette holder. Thus, starting from the loading position (Fig. 1), two movements of the cassette holder 15 must be performed for removing the cassette holder from the apparatus: first, the cassette holder must be moved from the loading position to the intermediate position (Fig. 3) to ailow the lever 37 to be uncoupled from the cassette holder by pivoting the lever 37 to remove the pin 39 from the slot 40 through the opening 43, and subsequently the cassette holder must be moved in the opposite direction beyond the loading position sufficient to disengage the latches 33 from the journals 16. In this manner inadvertent removal of the cassette holder from the apparatus is substantially precluded, whilst intentional removal of the holder can be carried out in a simple manner. The tension spring 36 which acts on the lever 37 is extended by the movement of the cassette holder 15 from the loading position to the operating position and thus serves also for returning the cassette holder from the operating position to the loading position, the spring acting on the cassette holder via the lever 37 and the lever guide means 38. In order to facilitate the necessary pivotal movement of the lever 37 for disconnecting this lever from the cassette holder, the lever 37 may be provided with a handle. However, the pin 39 on the lever may also be used for this purpose. When the cassette holder 15 has been removed from the apparatus, the spring 36 holds the lever 37 against a stop 47. Each latch 33 is returned to the closed position by the respective spring 32 and bears against a stop 44. In order to simplify remounting the cassette holder on the apparatus, each latch 33 has a surface 45 with which the relevant journal 16, when it is moved towards the opening 31 of the associated bearing element 17, slidably engages to displace the latch 33 rearwardly against the action of the spring 32 sufficiently for the journal to enter the bearing element, the latch being released by the journal during the last phase of the movement thereof and returning to the closed position under the influence of the spring 32 to retain the journal in the bearing element. Thus the journals automatically actuate the latches during the fitting of the cassette holder onto the apparatus. A portion 46 of the edge of the flange 30 extending rearwardly from the opening 43 forms a guide surface 46 with which the pin 39 on the lever 37 slidably engages during the movement of the cassette holder towards the loading position in the direction of the arrow 22 when the cassette holder has been fitted onto the apparatus. As the cassette holder is moved further in this direction the pin 39 is held in sliding engagement with this guide surface against the action of the spring 36 until the pin reaches the opening 43, when the pin is moved into the slot 40 through the opening 43 under the influence of the spring 36. Thus the guidance of the lever 37 and the connection between this lever and the cassette holder 15 are automatically restored. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A recording and/or playback apparatus for use with a record carrier which is accommodated in a cassette, the apparatus comprising a cassette holder which is pivotably supported by two coaxial journals which are mounted on the holder and are rotatable in respective bearing elements on the apparatus to permit pivotal movement of the cassette holder between a cassette loading position and an operating position, wherein the bearing elements each have an opening through which the respective journal can be inserted in and removed from the bearing element by translational movements of the cassette holder in directions perpendicular to the axis of the journals in order to permit mounting of the cassette holder on and its removal from the apparatus, and wherein for each bearing element there is provided a spring-loaded latch which is movable against its spring-loading from a closed position in which it retains the respective journal in the corresponding bearing element to an open position in which it releases the journal for removal from the bearing element, means being provided for

limiting movement of the cassette holder in the direction towards the loading position from the operating position in order to define the loading position, which means are manually movable to remove said limitation and free the cassette holder for movement beyond the loading position, and the cassette holder being provided with means which, upon movement of the cassette holder through a given distance beyond the loading position, engage the latches and move them to their open positions.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the means for limiting the pivotal movement of the cassette holder in said direction towards the loading position com- prise a pivotable lever which is connected to the cassette holder via a guide means for the lever and which is loaded by a spring in the direction in which this lever is moved when the cassette holder is pivoted in said direction towards the loading position, the lever being movable by hand against the spring-loading to disconnect the lever from the cassette holder at a position of the holder intermediate the operating position and the loading position.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein two parts constituted by the lever and the cassette holder respectively are formed one with a slot and the other with a pin which is slidable in the slot and which forms therewith the guide means for said lever, the part which is formed with the slot being formed also with an opening through which the pin can be removed from the slot at said intermediate position of the cassette holder, and said part also being formed with a guide surface for guiding the pin towards said opening during movement of the cassette holder towards said intermediate position from the loading position when the cassette holder is being mounted on the apparatus.

4. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each latch has a surface with which the respective journal cooperates to move the latch to the open position as the journal is moved towards the opening in the associated bearing element during insertion of the journal in the bearing element when the cassette holder is being mounted on the apparatus.

5. A recording and/or playback apparatus constructed and arranged to operate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.