GB2073470A - Tape head cleaner for a cassette player - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaner for the heads of a tape cassette player has a housing shaped outwardly like a cassette and at least one cleaning roller 33, 35 rotatably mounted in the housing. An endless belt arrangement 49 enables the cleaning roller to be rotated via the drive spindle of the cassette player so as to clean the associated head. A further cleaning element 101 for cleaning the capstan and pinch roller may be included. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tape head cleaner for a cassette player The present invention relates to tape head cleaners for cassette players.

One widely used head cleaner comprises a normal cassette-housing containing,instead of the normal electromagnetic recording tape, a short length of a cleaning tape or ribbon which, on actuation of the tape drive, is passed over the record and play heads of the player. This kind of cleaner has the dual disadvantage that the tape does not exert sufficient pressure on the heads to clean them efficiently and also oxide and dirt from one head is transferred to the other.

An alternative method for cleaning the playing head only has been proposed, in which a cam is positioned in a cassette-housing for rotation with the drive spindle. A pivoted lever is reciprocated by the cam so that a pad at one end of the lever wipes the playing head twice during each rotation of the cam.

The pad has only a small cleaning surface area so that the life of the cleaning cassette is short and also the pad may not engage all playing heads in various types of machine with sufficient pressure for effective cleaning.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cassette player tape head cleaner.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tape head cleaner for a cassette player, comprising a housing adapted to be located in a cleaning position on drive and rewind spindles of the player, a cleaning roller rotatably supported within the housing and drive means for co-operating with the drive spindle to rotate the roller, whereby with the housing in said cleaning position, the roller is urged into cleaning engagement with a tape head when the latter is brought into an operative position.

Preferably, the axis of rotation of the roller is parallel to the spindles.

Advantageously, the drive means comprises an endless belt rotatable by the drive spindle and guide means are provided for the belt so that it engages the cleaning roller.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two cleaning rollers driven by the drive means are provided, one to clean the erase head and the other to clean the playing head of the player.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a tape head cleaner with the top half of the housing removed, showing the position of the components when the heads to be cleaned (which are omitted from the figure) are in their retracted positions; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same cleaner again with the top half of the housing removed, showing the play and erase heads in their operative positions for cleaning.

Referring to the figures, there is shown a tape head cleaner generally indicated by the numeral 11, having a housing formed by identical halves, the half 13 of which is shown. The housing is of the standard cassette type and the half 13 has a base 15 with three complete upstanding sidewalls 17, 19 and 21 and a front wall 23 formed with apertures. The housing is shown with its top half removed, although the latter would normally be attached to the half 13 by screws in four corner holes 25. There are two hollow sleeves 27 and 29 extending upwardly from base 15 and these fit over the drive and rewind spindles respectively (not shown) of the cassette player. In a normal cassette housing, both sleeves are provided with inwardly directed teeth, but in the housing of the cleaner shown, only sleeve 29 is provided with teeth 31 which engage corresponding recesses on the drive spindle.It is not necessary to provide teeth on the other sleeve, because the drive for the cleaner is operated by the drive spindle, not the rewind spindle, as described below.

Two cleaning rollers 33 and 35 are supported within the housing 13 on respective bearing pins 37 and 39 for rotation about axes parallel to the axes of the spindles. Roller 33 is positioned for cleaning erase head 41 (see Figure 2) of the player, and roller 35 for cleaning record and play head 43. On the upper end of each roller is a cleaning surface 40,42 extending around the full circumference of the roller.

The cleaning surfaces are formed of a felt-like material which is compressible to some extenton engagement with a head for cleaning purposes. The two bearing pins 37 and 39 each have portions of reduced diameter at opposite ends which are held within a pair of parallel slots of which only slots 45 and 47 of the respective two pairs are shown in Figure 1. The two rollers 33 and 35 are thus movable towards or away from the heads.

The cleaning rollers are rotated by a drive means comprising an endless elastic belt 49 which cooperates with the drive spindle. Mounted in sleeve 29 for rotation with the drive spindle is a cylindrical guide member 51 which has a peripheral groove around the circumference thereof. There are also three parallel guide rollers 53, 55 and 57, each supported on a pin for rotation about an axis parallel to the spindles and each having a groove to receive the elastic belt 49. Roller 53 is mounted on a pin 59 which is fixed relatively to the housing and extends normal to the base 15. The other two guide rollers 55 and 57 are disposed adjacent the front opening of the housing and have central bores which receive location pins 61 and 63 which are part of the player, and accordingly these pins assist in positioning the cleaner correctly in the player.

The two cleaning rollers 33,35 are each situated between two of the three guide rollers, the five rollers being arranged approximately in line along the front of the housing. The belt 49 is threaded so that the inner side thereof engages the groove of guide member 51, which is rotated by the drive spindle, and the grooves of the three guide rollers so that these four members have their axes within the boundary of the closed loop of belt. The outer side of the belt engages the cleaning surfaces of the roller 33 and 35 so that their axes lie outside the loop.

The belt 49 is taut so that the cleaning rollers, which are movable relative to slots 45 and 47, are urged forwardly by the belt as far as possible, that is, until pins 37 and 39 abut the front ends of the slots, as shown in Figure 1 with the heads retracted.

When the cleaner is inserted in the player and the play and erase heads 43,41 are brought into their operative positions, the heads engage respective cleaning rollers 35 and 33. Depending on the exact size and location of the heads in any particular player, the rollers are pushed rearwardly to some extent along slots 45 and 47 against the tension of belt 49. Thus the cleaning rollers are held against the heads with an adequate and regular cleaning pressure irrespective of slight variations in different players. The portion of the felt-like cleaning surface 40 or 42 of the rollers which engages a head at any particular moment is compressed slightly, providing an increased area of contact.

As the drive spindle rotates, guide member 51 is rotated therewith and belt 49 is moved in the anti-clockwise direction as seen in the figures, so that guide rollers 53, 55 and 57 are also rotated in the anti-clockwise sense and the cleaning rollers are rotated in the clockwise sense. Therefore, while rotation of the drive spindle continues, and cleaning rollers are rotated continuously, and the full circumference of the rollers passes over the surfaces of the play and erase heads, cleaning the same. For improved cleaning efficiency, cleaning fluid may be applied to the felt cleaning surfaces on the rollers.

It is of course possible to bring only the play head into its operative position, and this head alone can -be cleaned by roller 35 if desired. The cleaner could be provided with a single cleaning roller only, for cleaning of the tape head since many cassette players, particularly those installed in automobiles, do not have the facilities for recording and erasing.

In this case, only two guide roller would be required, with the cleaning roller located between them so thatthe latter is urged by the belt towards the play head. The cleaner shown could be modified for this purpose simply by omitting guide 51 and roller 33.

Afurthercleaning 101 for cleaning the capstan and pinch roller is shown in the figures. This is a purely optional feature insofar as the cleaner of the present invention is concerned, and is fully described and separately claimed in a co-pending application.

It will be appreciated that some drive means other than a belt drive may be used. There could be a gear train, for example, or some other drive transmitting connection for co-operating with the drive spindle to rotate the cleaning rollers. The rollers could be rotated about axes normal to the spindles, and parallel to the front wall of the housing, but arrangements with the axes parallel to the spindles will be generally be simpler.

A number of other changes, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, can be made to the cleaner which is illustrated here without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

1. Tape head cleaner for a cassette player, comprising a housing adapted to be located in a cleaning position on drive and rewind spindles of the player, a cleaning roller rotatably supported within the housing and drive means for co-operating with the drive spindle to rotate the roller, whereby, with the housing in said cleaning position, the roller is urged into cleaning engagement with a tape head when the latter is brought into an operative position.

2. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation of the roller is parallel to the spindles.

3. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein in said cleaning position the drive means is adapted to urge the cleaning roller towards the tape head.

4. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said drive means comprises an endless belt rotatable by the drive spindle and guide means provided for the belt so that it engages the cleaning roller.

5. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the belt serves to urge the cleaning roller towards the tape head.

6. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the cleaning roller is mounted in a slot allowing for motion in a direction towards and away from the head.

7. Cleaner as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the guide means are provided by a plurality of rollers mounted within the housing for rotation by the belt.

8. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 7, wherein each guide roller has a peripheral groove to receive the endless belt.

9. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 7 or Claim 8, wherein the cleaning roller is located between two guide rollers so that one side of the belt engages said guide rollers and the opposite siade engages the cleaning roller.

10. Cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein two cleaning rollers driven by the drive means are provided, one to clean the erase head and the other to clean the playing head of the player.

11. Cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cleaning surface of the or each cleaning roller is compressed during engagementwith a he#ad.

12. Cleaner as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the or each cleaning roller has a felt-like cleaning surface.

13. Tape head cleaner for a cassette player, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.