Tape transport

A tape transport for presenting tape from a replaceable tape roll to a rotating drum. The transport includes a belt for moving the tape between the tape roll and a take-up reel and maintaining the tape on the drum with uniform pressure.

This invention relates generally to a tape transport for presenting tape 
from a replaceable tape reel to a rotary drum and a belt drive for 
advancing the tape. 
Belt drive tape transports are shown and described in a number of prior art 
patents as, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,692,255 and 3,907,230. In each 
of these drives the supply and take-up reels are permanently mounted 
within a cartridge which is associated with the magnetic tape apparatus. 
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,054,923 and 4,072,276, there is shown and described a 
belt driven tape transport with a removable tape roll whereby tape rolls 
can be inserted into the tape transport, the tape operated upon and 
rewound, and the tape roll removed for storage. In said apparatus the tape 
is self-threading whereby it is directed by the drive belt from the tape 
roll to a take-up reel past transducing heads. 
The present tape transport is adapted to drive and present tape to a 
rotating drum of the type described in copending application Ser. No. 
045,215, filed June 4, 1979, filed simultaneously herewith whereby 
sequential blocks of adjacent magnetic record tracks can be recorded or 
reproduced. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide tape transport 
apparatus which is simple in construction. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tape transport 
apparatus for presenting sequential lengths of magnetic tape to a 
rotatable drum. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tape drive 
employing a spring-loaded continuous drive belt for driving the tape over 
the drum. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetic tape 
transport which is self-threading and which is adapted to receive 
removable tape rolls. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnetic tape 
transport apparatus in which tape rolls contained in housings may be 
replaceably inserted into the tape transport for cooperation with an 
associated tape drum. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tape drive for 
presenting tape to a rotating drum and maintaining predetermined tension 
in the tape. 
The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by a tape 
transport for presenting tape to a rotating drum which includes a take-up 
reel including a hub, a drive belt extending over spaced guide rollers 
with one of said guide rollers being spring-loaded to provide 
predetermined tension to said belt, a means for receiving a tape roll to 
bring the roll into engagement with said belt whereby when the belt is 
engaged, the spring-mounted roller is moved to tension the belt to engage 
the surfaces of the tape on the roll and the take-up reel hub and maintain 
the tape at predetermined tension, a drive means for engaging said belt 
and serving to drive the belt whereby it rotates and frictionally engages 
the tape to drive the tape from the supply roll over the magnetic drum and 
onto the take-up reel hub.

Referring to the figures, the tape transport includes spaced top and bottom 
covers 11 and 12 which may be maintained in spaced relationship by means 
of spacer posts 13 to which the plates are secured by means of screws or 
other securing means 14. In FIG. 1 the tape transport is shown with the 
top cover removed. It is seen to include a take-up reel 16 including a hub 
17 and a removable supply reel 18. The supply reel may be rotatably 
mounted in a cartridge containing upper and lower walls 19, 20 and end 
wall 22. The cartridge is inserted into the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 
and releasably held. The tape is then placed into engagement with the 
continuous drive belt 23. The drive belt extends between spaced rollers 
26, 27 and 28 and drive roller 29. The roller 28 is mounted on the end of 
an arm 31 which is pivoted at 32 and includes a crank arm 33 engaged by a 
spring 34. The spring urges the arm in a clockwise direction to provide 
tension to the belt. 
The drive pulley is driven by a motor 36 and as the belt is moved, it 
serves to feed tape between the supply roll and take-up reel. Initially, 
the belt engages and rotates the supply reel whereby a stiff tape leader 
is bent to disengage from the retaining beads 37 and extends outwardly 
from the coil. The leader engages the guide means formed by spaced walls 
41 and 42 over the drum 43 of the type described in said copending 
application, past guide means 44 and 46, under the belt and onto the hub 
17 of the take-up reel where the leader is forced under the beads 47 and 
wound onto the hub 17. 
If the belt is substantially narrower than the tape, the forces of the belt 
may not snap the leader into engagement with the bead 37 during rewind and 
into engagement with the bead 47 during loading. In such circumstances 
spaced transverse stiffeners can be secured along the leader to minimize 
binding. 
By energizing the motor associated with the drive roller, the tape is 
advanced over the drum which is rotated at high velocities. The belt 
maintains the tape at predetermined pressure. The drum provides an air 
cushion between the tape and drum as described in said copending 
application. The predetermined pressure maintains a relatively uniform 
cushion. The tape is advanced in incremental steps corresponding to blocks 
of data whereby the magnetic heads 51 and 52 are rotated to read or write 
longitudinal tracks and axially, in and out of the paper as shown in the 
figure, to write or read a plurality of spaced parallel longitudinal 
magnetic tracks on predetermined sections of tape corresponding to the 
section of the tape wound on the drum to form recording blocks. The tape 
is advanced by the drive roller 27 to present additional lengths of tape 
and form adjacent blocks. 
It is seen that the tape transport is simple in construction and provides 
for the use of interchangeable tape rolls in a single recording apparatus. 
The rolls can then be stored and indexed. The tape is maintained at 
predetermined pressure on the drum. There is no need for uniform feed 
speed since the tape is stationary during recording and the heads are 
rotated at uniform speed.