Container for interchangeable tape cassette
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A container for a tape cassette comprising:
- a rectangular casing having flat top wall, bottom, two parallel narrow side walls, rear wall and a front opening;
a cassette-moving push-in slide in the form of a four-sided open-bottom frame, fitting and movable inwardly and outwardly within said casing through said opening between closed and open positions, the two side parts of said frame extending along said narrow side walls of said casing and which frame at least partially surrounds the periphery of a tape cassette lying on said casing bottom;
spring means engaged between said casing and said frame which, after a holding device is unlocked, will propel said frame together with a tape cassette, which will slide therewith along said casing bottom, a certain distance through said front opening into said open position;
guide means for controlling the movement of said frame which are designed in such a way that, in said open position, at least that part of said frame which protrudes from said casing assumes an oblique position relative to said bottom of said casing so that a tape cassette which lies on said bottom of said casing and protrudes therefrom, is at least partially exposed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A container for an interchangeable cassette comprises a casing having a frame-like slide therein which engages the cassette. For removal of the cassette from the casing, a spring urges the slide and cassette outwardly and the arrangement is such, that in the open position of the slide, at least that part of the slide which protrudes from the casing assumes an oblique position relative to the casing and cassette to allow the cassette to be removed directly from the casing. The slide may include tape hub-engaging bosses to prevent tape spillage.
45 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A container for a tape cassette comprising:
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a rectangular casing having flat top wall, bottom, two parallel narrow side walls, rear wall and a front opening; a cassette-moving push-in slide in the form of a four-sided open-bottom frame, fitting and movable inwardly and outwardly within said casing through said opening between closed and open positions, the two side parts of said frame extending along said narrow side walls of said casing and which frame at least partially surrounds the periphery of a tape cassette lying on said casing bottom; spring means engaged between said casing and said frame which, after a holding device is unlocked, will propel said frame together with a tape cassette, which will slide therewith along said casing bottom, a certain distance through said front opening into said open position; guide means for controlling the movement of said frame which are designed in such a way that, in said open position, at least that part of said frame which protrudes from said casing assumes an oblique position relative to said bottom of said casing so that a tape cassette which lies on said bottom of said casing and protrudes therefrom, is at least partially exposed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A container for a tape cassette having a pair of generally-rectangular, generally-elongated opposite broad sides, narrow side and end edges, and a pair of capstan holes spaced apart along a line parallel to and asymmetric with respect to said side edges, said holes being equi-distant from said end edges, comprising:
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a rectangular casing having a flat top wall, a bottom, two parallel narrow side walls, a rear wall and a front opening; a cassette-moving push-in slide in the form of a four-sided open-bottom frame fitting within and movable inwardly and outwardly within said casing through said opening between closed and open positions, the two side parts of said frame extending along said narrow casing side walls, said frame at least partially surrounding the periphery of a tape cassette lying on said casing bottom; spring means engaged between said casing and said frame which, after a holding device is unlocked, will propel said frame, together with a tape cassette, which will slide therewith along said casing bottom, a certain distance through said front opening into said open position; guide means for controlling the movement of said frame which is designed in such a way that, in said open position, at least that part of said frame which protrudes from said casing assumes an oblique position relative to said casing bottom so that a tape cassette which lies on said casing bottom and protrudes from said casing is at least partially exposed, said frame being provided along its central axis with two cassette-capstan engaging and rotation-preventing lugs spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing between the centers of the capstan holes of the tape cassette, which lugs extend perpendicular to said casing bottom in said closed position and are so located and designed that they protrude and fit into that hole zone of the capstan holes which is overlapped by another hole when the position of a cassette in said container is turned about the longitudinal axis of the cassette, whereby said container can receive a tape cassette lengthwise in any one of its four possible positions.
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13. A storage container for a tape cassette having a pair of generally-rectangular, generally-elongated opposite broad sides and narrow side and end edges comprising:
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a rectangular casing having top, bottom, side and rear walls and a front opening, said side walls being of greater length than said rear wall; four-sided frame-like cassette-moving slide means fitting and movable inwardly and outwardly within said casing through said opening between closed and open positions, said slide means having its bottom open and including side, front and rear frame parts for surrounding the periphery of a tape cassette and for moving the same endwise rectilinearly inwardly and outwardly with said slide means with at least a major portion of one broad side of the cassette resting and sliding on said casing bottom wall, said casing and slide means cooperatively defining, in said slide means closed position, an interior chamber of greater depth than width and having a peripheral shape similar to that of the cassette to closely confine the latter peripherally; spring means engaged between said casing and said slide means for urging the latter toward said open position; interengageable stop means on said slide means and said casing for limiting outward movement of said slide means to an open position wherein a cassette projecting from said casing and resting on said casing bottom wall will not overbalance, said side frame parts of said slide means being recessed to permit and to limit yieldable inclination of said slide means obliquely from the horizontal in said open position to expose the side edges of the projecting portion of the cassette for manual grasping to remove the cassette from said casing; and releasable means for retaining said slide means in said closed position. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A container for a tape cassette having a pair of generally-rectangular, generally-elongated opposite broad sides and narrow side and end edges comprising:
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a rectangular casing having top, bottom, side and rear walls and a front opening; four-sided frame-like cassette-moving slide means fitting and movable inwardly and outwardly within said casing through said opening between closed and open positions, said slide means having its bottom open and including side, front and rear frame parts for surrounding the periphery of a tape cassette and for moving the same endwise rectilinearly inwardly and outwardly with said slide means with at least a major portion of one broad side of the cassette resting and sliding on said casing bottom wall, said casing and slide means cooperatively defining, in said slide means closed position, an interior chamber of greater depth than width and having a peripheral shape similar to that of the cassette to closely confine the latter peripherally; spring means engaged between said casing and said slide means for urging the latter toward said open position; interengageable stop means on said slide means and said casing for limiting outward movement of said slide means to an open position wherein a cassette projecting from said casing and resting on said casing bottom wall will not overbalance, upper portions of said side frame parts of said slide means being recessed to permit and to limit yieldable inclination of said slide means upwardly from the horizontal in said open position to expose the side edges of the projecting portion of the cassette for manual grasping to remove the cassette from said casing; and releasable means for retaining said slide means in said closed position.
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Specification