Abstract:
A storage container for magnetic tape cassettes adapted to receive cassettes of different design, i.e. standard compact cassettes or digitally recorded cassettes. If a standard compact cassette is inserted tape reel locking members are activated but remain inactive upon insertion of a digitally recorded cassette.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a container or a storage device for magnetic tape cassettes of the basic design set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,229 or modifications thereof as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,702,372 or 4,738,361 or 4,828,341 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     These conventional devices comprise a housing and a transporter slidably guided in said housing and adapted to carry a cassette. The transporter slider is spring-biassed towards an open or removal position and may be locked or latched within the housing in a storing position. The latch may be manually released. 
     The known devices are designed to receive the well-known standard compact cassettes which exhibit freely accessible tape reels. When stored and subjected to vibrations, e.g. in a vehicle, there is a risk that the tape reels are inadvertently rotated and the cassette may become destroyed due to so-called &#34;tape salad&#34;. Therefore, the known containers are provided with blocking members integrally formed with the slider so as to engage into the tape reels and to lock them. 
     Recently, a novel type of cassette has appeared under the designation &#34;DCC&#34; or digitally recorded cassette. Such cassettes permit improved reproduction quality over that of conventional compact cassettes with analog recording. Recorders developed for such DCC cassettes are able to reproduce from DCC cassettes but also from conventional cassettes. Consequently, the exterior appearance of the two cassette types is quite similar. There are, however, two significant differences: While the standard compact cassette exhibits protruding head face portions of trapezoid contour such protruding portions are not present with DCC cassettes. Further, DCC cassettes are equipped with shutters shielding the tape reels against intrusion of dust; the reels are locked within the cassette until the reels are exposed upon placing the cassette into the reproducing apparatus whereby the shutters are displaced. 
     It will be understood that the conventional cassette containers are not suited for storing of DCC cassettes because of their tape reel blocking members, necessitating design of a device specifically adapted to receive DCC cassettes. Since, however, the reproducing apparatus may use both types of cassettes and it is not predictable what cassette type will be the preferred one of a particular person, there is a need to provide a cassette container adapted to receive either type of cassette. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides such a device thanks to the design described below having a first housing with a substantially parallelepipedic shape and an opening, and a second, cassette transporter part displaceable through the opening in the first part. The two parts completely surround a cassette carried by the second part when the second part is in a storage position, and permit cassette exchange when the second part is in a removal position, into which it is biased by an ejection spring. A releasable latch retains the second part in the storage position against the bias of the ejection spring inside the first part. One of the parts has blocking members for engaging the tape reels of cassettes whose tape reels are accessible from the exterior. The blocking members are deactivated when the cassette being stored has tape reels that are not accessible from the exterior. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be explained in detail hereunder with reference thereto. It should be noted that the drawings are somewhat schematic in order to emphasize the features which are important for the invention. Details which are not essential for the present invention may be derived from the publications incorporated above. 
     FIG. 1 is a section view of a device according to the invention seen as indicated by line 1--1 in FIG. 2, 
     FIG. 2 is a partial plan view, with the housing in section, of the device of FIG. 1 with the transporter part in open position, 
     FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 but with a compact cassette inserted, 
     FIG. 4 shows the positions of blocking member and control element shortly before the storing position with a compact cassette inserted, 
     FIG. 5 is a similar illustration of the storing position, 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the cooperation of the blocking member and control element in the storing position and with the compact cassette, 
     FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 3 but with an inserted DCC cassette, 
     FIGS. 8 through 10 are similar to FIGS. 4 through 6 but with an inserted DCC cassette, 
     FIGS. 11 through 14 show in enlarged scale the blocking member respectively in section view, in side elevation, in plan view and in front view, 
     FIG. 15 is a plan view of a modified device with the housing in section, the transporter part in the open position, and without an inserted cassette, and 
     FIG. 16 is a partial section view of a device in accordance with the present invention and having a modified control system for the blocking members. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the first embodiment, the container or storing device comprises a housing 20 injection molded from plastic material, a slider 22 also injection molded from plastic material and serving as a transporter part, and a helical compression spring 24 arranged between a housing rear wall 26 and a slider rear wall 28 so as to bias the slider towards the removal position as illustrated. The slider is longitudinally guided within the housing. Its outer end or removal position is defined by a stop 30 integrally formed with the slider and engaging into a bottom-side slot 32 of the housing. In its storing position as shown in FIG. 5, the slider is locked or latched by means of a latch element 34 which engages into a housing recess and may be unlatched by means of a key 36 for manual actuation. A transmitter member 38 for an occupation indicator is provided in the front wall 40 of the slider. The device described thus far exhibits features known in the prior art. 
     While the containers of the prior art have tape reel blocking members integrally molded with the slider in order to lock the tape reels when a cassette is received in the device, the container according to the first embodiment of the invention has blocking members pivotably journalled on the slider. When a cassette is placed on the slider the cassette type is sensed: If a compact cassette is to be stored, the blocking members are caused to assume an engaging position with respect to the tape reels at least when the slider is displaced into its storing position. If, on the contrary, a DCC cassette is placed on the slider the blocking members are caused to assume an inactive position. 
     In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 15 the blocking members themselves serve as sensors. Each blocking member comprises two bearing pins 42 to be snapped into respective recesses of the slider bottom, a control projection 44 (only one in the embodiment of FIG. 15 but two in symmetrical configuration in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 14), spring stops 46 and the very blocking surfaces 48 which, in the activated position, are urged against teeth of the tape reels. 
     In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 15 each blocking member is biased into a stand-by position by means of a leaf spring 50 mounted on the slider bottom, cf. FIG. 1. One of the two distal ends of the leaf spring, i.e. end 52, rests on the two stops 46. If a compact cassette is placed on the slider (FIG. 3) the blocking member extends in part into the cassette apertures via which the tape reel openings are accessible, the blocking member thereby not being deflected. When the slider pushed home into the housing, control projection 44 hits an end edge 54 of a control rib 58 integrally molded with the housing bottom; in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 14 there is a pair of such ribs in symmetrical configuration. Engagement between projection 44 and end edge 54 causes the blocking member to pivot about its bearing pins until the blocking surfaces engage the interior of the tape reels. If, on the contrary, a DCC cassette is placed on the slider the blocking members are pivoted in the opposite direction since the DCC cassette does not have an aperture into which the blocking member could extend. Control projection 44 thus assumes a position above end edge 54 of the control rib and cannot be activated. 
     The other distal or free end 60 of the leaf spring is angled upwards and bent towards the slider front wall thereby assuring that the occupation indicator is always properly actuated. Moreover, this spring end permits the cassette to yield when the slider is slightly pushed inwards beyond its storing position in order to open the container, such inwards movement of the slider causing the blocking member to be pivoted beyond its blocking position thereby pushing the cassette along the slider bottom. 
     The housing opening is dimensioned such that a compact cassette can be inserted only with its thinner end first but not with the end where the head face projections are. This restriction is necessary because the centers of the tape reels are asymmetrically disposed. Downholder ribs 64 are integrally molded with the housing top wall 62 so as to hold an inserted DCC cassette flat and urged against the slider bottom. These ribs 64 are located such that when a compact cassette is inserted they do not interfere with the head face projections thereof. The bottom side of the slider bottom has grooves 66 to accommodate the control ribs 58. Ramp 70 of the blocking members serve to guide a cassette upon the latter being inserted. 
     The embodiment of FIG. 15 differs from the first embodiment in that the cassettes are inserted longitudinally. For this reason, each blocking member has one control projection only, and the control ribs have different lengths. 
     Instead of the free spring end 60 there is a cushion 72 made of resilient material, preferably foamed plastic material. It is to be noted that there are further options to introduce the necessary backlash: The blocking member itself or its bearing pins may be resilient, the end edge of the control rib may be resilient, the slider may elastically yield adjacent the recesses engaged by the bearing pins: Somewhere in the considered cinematic chain some elasticity is provided. 
     While in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 15 presence or absence of tape reel access apertures is sensed, in the embodiment of FIG. 16 presence of the protruding head face projections of compact cassettes or their absence with DCC cassettes, is sensed. 
     The slider bottom has a recess 80 shaped and dimensioned to accommodate the head face projection on the bottom side of a compact cassette. A sensor lever 82 extends into the recess and is deflected against spring bias (not shown) by such a projection. The deflection is transmitted via a link 84 to the pivotable blocking member 86. The relative lengths of the individual lever arms is selected such that the angle through which the blocking member is pivoted is sufficient to lock the respective tape reel. The entire sensing and locking system is provided in the slider so that the tape reels are locked immediately when the compact cassette is placed on the slider, and there is no need to provide control ribs or the like on the housing. 
     It will be understood that numerous modifications may be provided in the embodiments shown and described. For instance, displaceable control members may be provided on the housing and the control rib may be displaceably mounted on the slider so as to assume, in response to the type of the inserted cassette, an activating or non-activating position. In such a design preferably the presence or absence of the head face projections is sensed. In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 15, the sensor portion of the blocking members assumes a stand-by position or intermediate or &#34;semi-active&#34; position when there is no cassette on the slider, and may be deflected in either direction. In contrast, the blocking member of the FIG. 16 embodiment assumes one of its two end positions, the inactive one, when the slider is empty. Designs are conceivable in which the blocking members are in their active or blocking end position when the slider is empty, and the blocking members can be deflected upon insertion of a DCC cassette.