Tape recorder, particularly cassette recorder

• US 3,940,792 A
• Filed: 02/27/1974
• Issued: 02/24/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uher Werke Munchen
• Original Assignee: Uher Werke Munchen
• Inventors: Herleth, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Canney, Vincent P.
• Application Number:
  US05/446,264
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 360/60, 360/93, 360/96
• US Class Current: 360/96.3
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/10 Manually-operated control; Solenoid-operated control G11B15/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/22 Stopping means G11B15/06 takes precedence; slowing-down preparatory to stopping or speed-changing G11B15/48; speed-controlling by mechanical linkage G11B15/50 ; inside container G11B23/04
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/442 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/063 using tape inside container

Abstract

A tape recorder, particularly a cassette recorder, comprising two reels for rewinding and unwinding a tape, sound recording and reproducing means, a driving system for moving the reels in two tape run directions, a braking system for the reels, control buttons (such as forward transport, pause, start, stop, record, rewind buttons) designed to set an appropriate function sequence for the recorder, and an electric control system which controls the given function sequence as a function of the actuated buttons. The control buttons are arranged at the front of the recorder and are assigned slides which extend over the length of the recorder unit containing the mechanical constituents such as tape-up spools, driving mechanism, as far as corresponding contacts of the electric control system. The setting movements of the control buttons can be transmitted to the corresponding contacts of the electric control system, and further, the slides are equipped with driving facilities and releasing facilities which move given mechanical recorder parts to the positions corresponding to the chosen function sequences.

Claims

1. A tape recorder, particulalry a cassette recorder, comprising a recorder housing, said recorder housing comprising therein tape reels for rewinding and unwinding a tape, sound recording and reproducing means, a driving system for moving the reels in two tape run directions, control buttons designed to set an appropriate function sequence of an associated electric control system having contacts corresponding to said control buttons and which controls the given function sequence in accordance with the setting of said control buttons, the control buttons being arranged on one side of said recorder housing, slides positioned on said recorder housing and which extend thereacross, mechanically connecting said control buttons to said electric control system contacts transmitting the setting movements of said control buttons to the corresponding contacts of the electric control system, said slides having driving facilities and releasing facilities which move given mechanical recorder parts to the positions corresponding to the function sequences corresponding to the setting of said control buttons, a braking system for the reels including means for mounting said braking system on the recorder and means for connecting said braking system to the slides so that the braking system is actuated by selected settings of the slides.

2. The tape recorder of claim 1, wherein the electronic control system contacts to be actuated by the slides are arranged on that side of the recorder housing containing the mechanical components.

3. The tape recorder of claim 1, wherein said control buttons and slides include a forward transport function and a rewind function and further comprising locking means which hold, when said forward transport function or rewind function is selected, the slide corresponding to the other one of the functions in a "switched-off" position.

4. The tape recorder of claim 3, wherein the locking means have a swivel lever on which the rewind slide and forward transport slide are hinged so that when one of the slides is actuated, the other one is shifted in the opposite direction and stopped.

5. The tape recorder of claim 1, including means for coupling the driving system to both the forward transport slide and rewind slides so that when a forward or rewind function is selected, the driving system is caused to establish a driving connection with one of the two reels.

6. The tape recorder of claim 1, including means for connecting sound recording and reproducing slides to the start slide so that when the start button is actuated, said sound recording and reproducing slides are shifted to the corresponding position by the start slide and further including a contact of the electric control system which is actuated by said control buttons and which applies a reduced voltage to the driving system for the reels.

7. The tape recorder of claim 1, including means for connecting the record slide to a record lock so that the record slide cannot be shifted by the record button until said record lock has been released.

8. The tape recorder of claim 7, comprising a Bowden control wire which is connected to the record slide, a corresponding out-in contact of the electric system for recording operated via the Bowden control wire.

9. The tape recorder of claim 1, comprising resetting means which reset, when the stop button is actuated, all the other buttons as well as the assigned slides to neutral positions.

10. The tape recorder of claim 9, wherein the resetting means comprise a tripping magnet.

11. The tape recorder of claim 9, wherein the resetting means have a movable plate defining recesses into which the control buttons engage, said movable plate being movable both by said stop button and by said tripping magnet.

12. The tape recorder of claim 1, further including a swivel plate, an electric motor and a friction wheel driven by said electric motor all mounted on said swivel plate, said driving system including driving plates, the swivel plate being pivotally mounted on the recording housing and can be swivelled by the shifting movement of the slides so that said friction wheel comes into contact with one of the driving plates, corresponding contacts of the electric control system being simultaneously so actuated by the slides so that the electric motor is given the corresponding polarity and the supply voltage of said motor is set accordingly.

13. The tape recorder of claim 12, further including a hinge on said swivel plate so that one of the slides is enabled to overtravel relative to the swivelling movement of the swivel plate.

14. The tape recorder of claim 13, further including a leg spring engaged between one of the slides and said swivel plate.

15. The tape recorder of claim 4, wherein, for the purpose of polarizing the electric motor appropriately, those ends of the forward transport and rewind slides which are opposite to the forward transport and rewind buttons actuate a corresponding contact of the control system.

16. The tape recorder of claim 15, including a further slide coacting with the control button and which can be shifted thereby making the tape run slowly, for example for playback, and which enables the swivel plate to be swivelled in the direction of the driving plate for forward transport until the friction wheel comes into contact with said swivel plate, a contact of the control system being simultaneously actuated by means of this further slide so that the voltage necessary for slow-running is applied to the motor and further, the forward transport slide is jointly shifted at the same time by said further slide so that the contact for reversing the polarity of the electric motor is also actuated.

17. The tape recorder of claim 14, wherein the two ends of the leg spring can be bent resiliently as a result of the over-travel of the slides.

18. The tape recorder of claim 14, including a shoulder on the leg spring which engages the forward transport slide and a slide which controls slow-running of the machine.

19. The tape recorder of claim 14, wherein the friction wheel can be applied resiliently to the individual driving plate by means of the leg spring.

20. The tape recorder of claim 1, including brake shoes which can be applied to the driving system and a common cantable brake slide mounting said brake shoes for selectively drawing said reels into braking engagement with said brake shoes.

21. The tape recorder of claim 20, including two points of engagement provided on the brake slide so that the brake slide can be aimed at with centre offset.

22. The tape recorder of claim 21, including a pin on the brake slide for guiding said brake slide.

23. The tape recorder of claim 21, further including a lifting bracket which is able to engage on at least two points of engagement on the brake slide and which can swivel around both its ends.

24. The tape recorder of claim 20, wherein the brake slide is shiftable to the non-braking position against spring force.

25. The tape recorder of claim 20 wherein two of the slides engage respectively close to one of the ends of said lifting bracket to swivel said lifting bracket around the other end.

26. The tape recorder of claim 1, wherein the structural unit having the mechanical components further includes a centrifugal mass and a capstan connected thereto, a pinch roller for pressing the magnetic tape against said capstan.

27. The tape recorder of claim 26, including a bearing bridge and a support having a profiled plastic part which runs in a slot guide on said bearing bridge.