GB2218403A - Video and or other tape or film cassettes - Google Patents

Abstract

A cassette assembly, e.g. of standard VHS video tape format, includes stop means 40 within the cassette housing 14 movable between a blocking position, at which it co-acts with the tape transport, e.g. the take-up reel (32), so as to permit forward play of the tape 18 or other medium but restricts re-winding, and a free position at which full re-winding can take place. A key-actuated or other lock 42 of the assembly has to be operated to shift the stop means to the free condition so that the tape or other medium can be rewound. Thus the user of the tape or medium, e.g. a hirer from a video library, can only play the tape once without access to a key to effect rewinding, and thus a hire charge can be made for each viewing or other use of the tape or medium. The lock may be operated by a magnetic cord, optical key or cord, or infra-red device. The lock may act to prevent only a portion of the tape being re-played. <IMAGE>

Description

VIDEO AND OR OTHER TPPE OR FILM CASSETTES This invention relates to cassettes for recording media such as tape or film, particularly but not exclusively magnetic video tape.

The invention can usefully be applied to video cassettes embodying or compatible with the widely used VHS system which is now the almost universal standard for video cassette recorders in general use in the home and elsewhere, and hence for video tape recordings on general sale and/or available for loan or hire from video libraries. The VhS system and the construction of the standard cassettes used therewith is well known in the art and will not be described in any detail. Further information thereon may be obtained, for example, from British Patents 1558056 and 1561443 of Nippon Victor KK and other publications.

The invention may be embodied in the VHS compatible or other two-part cassette assembly described and claimed in my co-pending patent application Gob807936 dated 5th April 1SEE.

The object of the invention is to provide a cassette assembly having a simple and inexpensive yet effective means of restrictir or controlling its use and operation and/or preventing unauthorised access or repeated access to its pre-recorded content or some predetermined part thereof.

According to the invention there is provided a cassette assembly or sub-assembly including at least one reel for operatively holding or receiving a stock of film, tape or other recording medium, stop means changeable between a free condition and a blocking condition at which rotation of the reel and/or movement of the medium in at least one direction is prevented, and lock means controlling operation of the stop means which can only be set or shifted to an activated and/or deactivated condition by coaction with a coded key or key input signal selectively applied to the lock means.

The term !'coded key or key input signal" is intendec to comprise inter alia conventional mechanical keys cut to a predetermined code for physical insertion into and operation of the lock means, e.g. coacting with a cylinder-type lock; visibly or invisibly coded magnetic or optically read keys in card or other form for actuating electromagnetic or electro-optical lock means; key signal generating or input devices transmitting coded pulses to the lock means e.g. remote infra-red key input signal devices; or input to combination or like locks by manual keying in or setting a digital code directly to the lock itself.

Conveniently, to restrict play-back of pre-recorded tape or other medium to a single run, the stop means in its blocking condition automatically prevents rewinding of the tape or other medium i.e. transport of the medium in a direction opposite to its playing direction.

The stop means may act directly on the reel to hold it against rotation in one, or possibly both, directions; or it may act directly or indirectly on a second reel of the assembly in its condition of use or the drive thereto to prevent rewinding of tape or other media from said at least one reel onto said further reel i.e. transmission of drive to said one reel by the drawing off action of the tape or medium itself.

Alternatively, in the case of the two-part cassette assembly of my said co-pending application, the stop means may prevent the engagement together of the two parts for drive connection to be transmitted to said at least.one reel whether by rewinding or drawing off the tape or other medium itself, or otherwise.

For some applications the stop means may be put into its blocking condition automatically at or after a predetermined point or stage of operation of the cassette assembly, for example a sensor may be incorporated to detect a predetermined running length or time of the tape so as to halt operation or preclude further or other rotation of the reel in one or both directions at the end of said length or period, so enabling unrestricted access to the content of one part of the tape or other media but restricting or precluding unauthorised access to a remaining part thereof.

An embodiment of the invention is now more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing being a diagrammatic horizontal sectional view of a VHS compatible video cassette assembly.

The basic construction and operation of the assembly shown in the drawing is as with the standard VHS compatible commercially available video tape cassettes and will not be described in detail.

Briefly it comprises a unitary housing 14 within which is a first tape reel 16 for carrying a stock of video tape 18, for example a pre-recorded tape to be hired or loaned from a video library, wound thereon with its trailing or innermost end anchored to the reel core in the usual manner. (In the drawing the tape is shown wound off that reel following play).

The housing 14 also contains a take-up reel 32, to the core of which the outer or leading end of tape 18 is anchored in known manner.

The tape is led round guide rollers and through apertures of the assembly between the reels for forward and reverse winding, play-back etc. in known manner.

The only re-arrangement of the normal VHS type mechanism within the cassette assembly is that the standard control pawls (not shown) which coact with toothed or notched rims of the reels (not shown) to prevent their rotation when the cassette is not inserted in the VHS recorder/player are moved from their normal position between the reels in the rear part of housinc 14 (i.e. on the side opposite that along which the flight of tape between the reels is guided) to the opposite corners of housing 14 in the front portion thereof.

The space thus left clear at the rear centre of housing 14 is occupied by the stop means and controlling lock means of the invention.

The stop means includes a backstop 40 pivoted or otherwise changeable within housing 14 between a blocking position or condition at which it coacts with the toothed or notched rim of the take-up reel 32 independently of the standard VHS control pawls referred to above to permit rotation of that reel in the forward direction only, i.e. for forward play-back of tape 18 but not permitting its re-winding for subsequent further playback, rotation of reel 32 in the anti-clockwise direction as viewed in the drawing being prevented. This is subject only to incorporation of the limited play-back facility as an optional feature referred to hereafter.

Positioned on a vertical axis centrally of said rear part of housing 14 is a small mechanical cylinder lock 42 which can only be operated by the correct key coded by cutting to match the lock. Lock 42 can be operated by means of the key to coact mechanically with the backstop 40 to change it selectively to a free condition at which it does not inhibit rotation of the reels in either direction, i.e. to enable re-winding to be carried out.

In this way, if, for example, the cassette assembly containing a pre-recorded tape has been hired or borrowed from a video library, the library user can watch a single play-through of the tape (and can also use the fast forward, pause or stop facilities of the player) but cannot re-wind it for a second playing. This precludes multiple play-through of the tape on a single hiring or borrowing and, in particular, unauthorised loan or passing on of the tape to other users during the hire period who are not customers of the library and have not paid any fee therefor.

When the tape has been played through the user must return it to the library, who will hold the key fitting lock 42, for re-winding or before re-winding can be effected. If the user wants to watch the tape again a further fee can be charged by the library.

This arrangement also enables the user to know who has watched the borrowed tape and when, for example a tape having a content not suitable for children can be watched once by the adults of the family secure in the knowledge that children will not be able to arrange a clandestine repeat showing. The single run may also be some deterrent against copying the tape or medium.

Various modifications of the above arrangement are contemplated. For example the backstop 40 may be arranged to act on the first tape reel 16 instead of take-up reel 32 andlcr the stop means may act on both reels together.

A further modification is provision for allowing repeat viewing of a portion of the tape only. A sensor may be incorporated to detect when a given length of tape has been wound onto or off one or other of the reels, for example a flange of one reel may include an aperture at a predetermined radius through which the presence or absence of turns of tape on the reel at that point can be detected and the backstop 40 or other stop means be changed to or from the free condition in response thereto. In this way a predetermined period or section of the content of the tape, for example the first hour or half hour may remain freely available for repeat viewing (re-winding not inhibited up to that point) but the other part of the content of the tape will remain under restriction, one viewing only and no re-wind.

If the invention is combined with the two-part cassette assembly of my said co-pending application the stop means and lock means, for example the backstop 4G and cylinder lock 42 may be combined with the cartridge sub-cassette portion, i.e. the part which will hold the stock of tape and which will be supplied by the library for combination with the user's wind-off unit of the assembly, or it could be included in the latter unit.

With the two-part arrangement the user would have to take the Entire assembly back to the library for unlocking and re-wind.

Alternately, with the two-part cassette assembly, the locking means could operate stop means which, in its blocking condition prevents the assembly together or operative interengagement of the two parts, thus indirectly preventing the rotation or transmission of drive to either or both reels, i.e. the key has to be used to connect the tuo parts together for operation.

This latter arrangement is an illustration of a further use of the invention, a cassette or cassettes used in the home may be key controlled by the home user e.g. an adult, so as to prevent unauthorised use by children or other members of the family e.g. the watching of unsuitable content; or possibly the arrangement could be adapted or selectively operable to prevent unauthorised recording on the tape which might delete content which had not yet been watched or was not otherwise finished with.

The invention may also have security applications e.g. in preventing unauthorised access to or play-back of confidential video recordings, computer data tapes or the like as in business, commercial or administrative applications.

As referred to above various forms of lock means and coded key or key input signals can be used. Thus a video library having a large number of tape cassettes may operate the lock means of all of them by a commonly coded key or may use a coded magnetic card, optical key or card or infra-red remote key input device, possibly built into or combined with a re-winding machine for speedy and efficient preparation of the tape for further hiring or loan.

The advantages to a commercial library are that the "turn round" time of the tapes should be much quicker as the borrower has no incentive to keep them once watched, hiring income can be increased as a charge can be imposed for each single watching and loss of revenue due to unauthorised passing on and borrowing of tapes is prevented, wear and tear on tapes is directly related to the number of hirings so that charges can be computed accordingly and savings may be passed on to the user, and there are advantages to the user in the tighter control of access particularly where the content is of a socalled "adult" nature.

Claims (14)

1. A cassette assembly or sub-assembly including at least one reel for operatively holding or receiving a stock of film, tape or other recording medium, stop means changeable between a free condition and a blocking condition at which rotation of the reel and/or movement of the medium in at least one direction is prevented, and lock means controlling operation of the stop means which can only be set or shifted to an activated and/or deactivated condition by coaction with a coded key or key input signal selectively applied to the lock means.

2. An assembly as in Claim 1 wherein the key is a conventional mechanical key cut to a predetermined code for physical insertion into and operation of the lock means.

3. An assembly as in Claim 1 wherein the key or key input signal is provided by a coded magnetic or optically read key in card or other form for actuating electromagnetic or electro-optical lock means.

4. An assembly as in Claim 1 wherein the key input signal is provided by a key signal generating or input device transmitting coded pulses to the lock means.

5. An assembly as in Claim 4 wherein said generating or input device is a remote infra-red key input signal device.

6. An assembly as in Claim 1 wherein the lock means is a combination lock and the coded key or key input signal keys in manually or otherwise sets a digital code directly to the lock means.

7. An assembly as in any preceding claim wherein the stop means in its blocking condition automatically prevents rewinding of the tape or other medium, i.e.

transport of the medium in a direction opposite to its playing direction.

6. An assembly as in any preceding claim wherein the stop means acts directly on said reel to hold it against rotation in at least one direction.

9. An assembly as in any preceding claim wherein the stop means acts directly or indirectly on a second reel of the assembly in its condition of use or the drive thereto to prevent the tape or other media being wound thereon.

10. An assembly as in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein said one reel forms part of a sub-assembly of a two-part cassette and the stop means operates to prevent the engagement together of the two parts for drive connection to be transmitted to said one reel by rewinding or drawing of the tape or other medium itself or otherwise.

11. An assembly as in any preceding claim wherein the stop means is put into its blocking condition automatically at or after a predetermined point or stage of operation of the assembly.

12. An assembly as in Claim 11 including a sensor which detects a predetermined running length or time of the medium so as to actuate the stop means into its blocking condition at the end of said length or period.

13. An assembly as in any preceding claim being a standard VHS compatible video tape cassette.

14. A cassette assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.