Cassette container capable of accommodating plural kinds of cassettes of different sizes

A cassette container capable of accommodating plural kinds of cassettes of different sizes including a plate for supporting a cassette to be mounted so as to be in contact with a surface thereof. In this cassette container, a pair of cassette guides are provided for guiding a cassette of a predetermined size which is less than a predetermined maximum size to a mounting position. These pair of cassette guides can be lowered by insertion of a cassette larger than the cassette of the predetermined size to a lower side of the plate. A pair of leaf springs urge the pair of cassette guides toward an upper side of the plate respectively. In addition, the pair of cassette guides are inclined toward a cassette insertion side when the cassette guides move to the upper side of the plate upon urging of the pair of leaf springs. The pair of cassettes are positioned approximately parallel with the plate when the cassette guides are lowered to the lower side of the plate by insertion of the larger cassette.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a cassette container of a cassette type 
recording/playback apparatus most suitable for application to a recorder 
or the like that can perform recording and playback while selectively 
using plural kinds of cassettes of different sizes. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2B show a cassette container in which an opening 3 is 
formed at the side of an outer case 2 of a video camera main body 1. A 
video tape recorder 4 is vertically incorporated in the outer case 2, 
i.e., in the inner part of the space communicating with the opening 3. The 
video tape recorder 4 can perform recording and playback on two kinds of 
tape cassettes, i.e., a large-size tape cassette 11 and a small-size tape 
cassette 12, that are selectively mounted in the cassette container. As 
shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, 4A-4B, 5, and 6, the large-size tape cassette 11 and 
the small-size tape cassette 12 are approximately similar to each other in 
shape and incorporate a magnetic tape 14 that is wound on a pair of tape 
reels 13 (arranged in the right-left direction). The magnetic tape 14 is 
wound so as to traverse, in the right-left direction, a central opening 15 
that is formed at the center on the side of a front end 11a or 12a of the 
large-size or small-size tape cassette 11 or 12. A double opening/closing 
lid 16 that opens and closes so as to enclose the magnetic tape 14 from 
the front and rear in the central opening 15 is attached to the front end 
11a or 12a. 
As shown in FIGS. 1A-1B, 2A-2B, 5-7, a mechanical deck 21 of the video tape 
recorder 4 is formed vertically and mounted, in the lateral direction, 
with a pair of reel bases 22 (arranged in the right-left direction), a 
pair of positioning pins 23 (arranged in the right-left direction), a tape 
loading mechanism 24, a rotary head drum 25, a pair of brake drums 26 
(arranged in the right-left direction), a band brake 27, a soft brake 28, 
a unidirectional clutch 29, and other various mechanical parts for 
recording and playback. A pair of reel base gears 22a (arranged in the 
right-left direction) which are formed on the outer circumferences of the 
pair of reel bases 22 at their lower ends so as to be integral with the 
latter always mesh with a pair of brake drum gears 26a (arranged in the 
right-left direction) which are formed on the outer circumferences of the 
pair of brake drums 26. The pair of reel bases 22 reciprocate between 
positions with a small interval L.sub.1 for the small-size tape cassette 
12 (indicated by solid lines in FIG. 7) and positions with a large 
interval L.sub.2 for the large-size tape cassette 11 (indicated by chain 
lines in FIG. 7) in the directions of arrows a and b by making symmetrical 
circular movements about the pair of brake drums 26. The band brake 27 is 
wound on the outer circumference of the tape supply side brake drum 26 
which is disposed on the tape supply side (right side in FIG. 7). The 
braking force of the band brake 26 is controlled by a tension regulator 
24a of the tape loading mechanism 24. The soft brake 28 is in contact with 
the outer circumference of the tape take-up side brake drum 26 which is 
disposed on the tape take-up side (left side in FIG. 7). The 
unidirectional clutch 29 is incorporated between the tape take-up side 
brake drum 26 and the brake drum gear 26a that is formed on the outer 
circumference of the former. 
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the large-size and small-size tape cassettes 11 
and 12 are selectively mounted into the mechanical deck 21 in parallel 
therewith in a vertical state with the front ends 11a and 12a down, 
whereby the pair of tape reels 13 are engaged with the pair of reel bases 
22. At this time, the pair of positioning pins 23 cause the front end 11a 
or 12a and the center in the right-left direction of the large-size tape 
cassette 11 or the small-size tape cassette 12 to be positioned on a 
horizontal reference line X and a vertical reference line Y on the 
mechanical deck 21, respectively. After the cassette mounting, the tape 
loading mechanism 24 causes the magnetic tape 14 in the large-size 
cassette tape 11 or the small-size cassette tape 12 to be pulled out 
downward and loaded onto the rotary drum 25. Thus, recording or playback 
is performed on the magnetic tape 14 of a selected one of the large-size 
and small-size tape cassettes 11 and 12. During recording or a playback on 
the magnetic or its fast feed, the braking force of the tape supply side 
brake drum 26 is controlled by the band brake 27, whereby the back tension 
of the magnetic tape 14 is controlled to have a constant value. During 
rewinding, the soft brake 28 exerts weak braking force on the tape take-up 
side brake drum 26, whereby uncontrolled running of the magnetic tape 14 
is prevented. During recording, a playback, or a fast feed, the soft brake 
28 does not serve as a load because the unidirectional clutch 29 of the 
tape take-up side brake drum 26 is rendered in a free rotation state. 
As shown in FIGS. 1A-1B to 4, 8, and 9 a pop-up cassette 
attaching/detaching device 33 is provided with a vertical cassette holder 
34 which is configured so as to be freely entered into and removed from 
the outer case 2 of the video camera main body 1 in the horizontal, i.e., 
lateral, direction (indicated by arrows c and d) through the approximately 
rectangular opening 3 which is formed at the side of the outer case 2. A 
cassette input/output mouth 35 is formed at an upper end portion of the 
cassette holder 34. A door 36 for opening and closing the opening 3 of the 
outer case 2 is vertically attached to the side face of a top plate 34c of 
the cassette holder 34. The door 36 is slidable with respect to the 
cassette holder 34 in the top-bottom direction (indicated by arrows e and 
f). 
The cassette holder 34 is configured so as to be reciprocated in parallel 
with the direction of arrows c and d by a pop-up mechanism that is 
attached to the mechanical deck 21. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, when an 
ejection button is pushed, the cassette holder 34 is popped up in the 
direction of arrow c through the opening 3 to a cassette input/output 
position P.sub.1 which is outside the outer case 2 and the door 36 is slid 
downward, i.e., in the direction of arrow e, whereby the cassette 
input/output mouth 35 is opened widely. In this state, as described later 
in detail, after a selected one of the large-size and small-size tape 
cassettes 11 and 12 is inserted downward, i.e., in the direction of arrow 
e, into the cassette holder 34 through the cassette input/output mouth 35, 
the cassette holder 34 is pressed into a cassette mounting position 
P.sub.2 in the outer case 2 through the opening 3 by pushing the door 36 
in the direction of arrow d as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B. As a result, the 
door 36 is pressed in the direction d while being slid in the direction of 
arrow f, to close the opening 3. 
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, as a result of the above cassette mounting 
operation, the selected one of the large-size and small-size tape 
cassettes 11 and 12 are mounted into the mechanical deck 21 in the 
direction of arrow d so as to be orientated downward and vertically with 
the front end 11a or 12a and the center in the right-left direction of the 
tape cassette 11 or 12 located on the horizontal and vertical reference 
lines X and Y on the mechanical deck 21, respectively. When the large-size 
or small-size tape cassette 11 or 12 is ejected after recording or a 
playback, a reverse operation to the cassette mounting operation is 
performed. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, by pushing the ejection 
button, the cassette holder 34 is popped up in the direction of arrow c to 
the cassette input/output position P.sub.1 which is outside the outer case 
32 and the door 36 is slid in the direction of arrow e, whereby the 
cassette input/output mouth 35 is opened widely. In this state, the 
large-size tape cassette 11 or the small-size tape cassette 12 is removed 
from the cassette holder 34 upward, i.e., in the direction of arrow f. 
As shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 10, the cassette holder 34 is made of sheet metal 
or the like and is formed so as to have an approximately bracket-shaped 
cross-section by a bottom plate 34b and both, i.e., right and left, side 
plates 34b. The cassette holder 34 is disposed vertically in parallel with 
the side face of the vertical mechanical deck 21, and a top end opening of 
the cassette holder 34 forms the cassette input/output mouth 35. The door 
36 is attached to the side face of the top plate 34c bridging the open 
ends of both side plates 34b of the cassette holder 34 so as to be 
parallel with the bottom plate 34a and slidable in the top-bottom 
direction (indicated by arrows e and f). The bottom plate 34a of the 
cassette holder 34 is formed with a pair of reel base insertion holes 37 
(arranged in the right-left direction) which are approximately L-shaped, 
opposed to each other, and formed symmetrically in movement ranges of the 
pair of reel bases 22 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) in the directions of arrows a 
and b. Lower peripheral portions, located at right and left end positions, 
of the bottom plate 34a is formed with, in an integral manner, a pair of 
large cassette stoppers 38 (arranged in the right-left direction) for 
locating the front end 11a and the center in the right-left direction of 
the large-size tape cassette 11 on the horizontal and vertical reference 
lines X and Y on the mechanical deck 21, respectively. 
As shown in FIGS. 10-12, a pair of small cassette guides 39 (arranged in 
the right-left direction) which are formed by molding synthetic resin or 
the like and serve to locate the front end 12a and the center in the 
right-left direction of the small-size tape cassette 12 on the horizontal 
and vertical reference lines X and Y on the mechanical deck 21, 
respectively, are attached to the bottom plate 34a of the cassette holder 
34 at positions deviated to the lower end. The pair of small cassette 
guides 39 are disposed parallel with the vertical reference line Y at 
positions equally distant from it in the right-left direction. The inside 
ends of a pair of symmetrical leaf springs 40 (arranged in the right-left 
direction) are fixed to bottom faces 39c (faces opposed to the mechanical 
deck 21) of the pair of small cassette guides 39 by welding or the like. 
The outside ends of the leaf springs 40 are fixed to bottom faces 34a" 
(faces opposed to the mechanical deck 21) of the bottom plate 34a by a 
pair of caulking pins 41. Thus, the pair of leaf springs 40 allow the 
small cassette guides 39 to move in the directions of arrows c and d 
through a pair of guide insertion holes 42 (arranged in the right-left 
direction) formed in the bottom plate 34a between a position that 
protruded, by a height H.sub.1, to the side of a top face 34a' (face on 
the side of the cassette insertion space) of the bottom plate 34a (see 
FIG. 11B) and a position that is lowered, by a height H.sub.2, to the side 
of the bottom face 34a" (face opposed to the mechanical deck 21) of the 
bottom plate 34a (see FIG. 11C). 
As shown in FIGS. 11-12, each of opposed (in the right-left direction) 
faces 39a of the pair of small cassette guides 39 is formed, at an upper 
end portion, with a tapered face 43 for introducing the small-size tape 
cassette 12. A top surface 39b that is perpendicular to each opposed face 
39a is formed with a slant face 44 at an upper end portion. As shown in 
FIG. 11A, the length of protrusion of the pair of small cassette guides 39 
to the side of the top face 34a' of the bottom plate 34a is restricted 
such that stopper pieces 45 that are formed at upper portions of the 
bottom face 39c of the small cassette guides 39 so as to be integral with 
the latter butt against the bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a in 
the direction of arrow c. A pair of small cassette stoppers 46 for 
locating the front end 12a of the small-size tape cassette 12 at the 
horizontal reference line X on the mechanical deck 21 are formed 
vertically on the lower end side of the small cassette guides 39 at 
positions deviated inward from the opposed faces 39a so as to be integral 
with the small cassette guides 39. 
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the small-size tape cassette 12 is inserted 
between the pair of small cassette guides 39 in the direction of arrow e, 
and the center of the small-size tape cassette 12 in the right-left 
direction is positioned on the vertical reference line Y by the small 
cassette guides 39. At the same time, a pair of parallel stopper insertion 
grooves 12b (arranged in the right-left direction) formed at right and 
left ends of the front end 12a of the small-size tape cassette 12 are 
inserted into the pair of small cassette stoppers 46 in the direction of 
arrow e, and the front end 12a of the small-size tape cassette 12 is 
positioned on the horizontal reference line X by the pair of small 
cassette stoppers 46. One of the small cassette stoppers 46 releases a 
lock lever of the opening/closing lid 16 of the small-size tape cassette 
12. 
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the large-size tape 
cassette 11 is inserted between the pair of side plates 34b of the 
cassette holder 34 in the direction of arrow e, and the center of the 
large-size tape cassette 11 in the right-left direction is positioned on 
the vertical reference line Y. At the same time, the front end 11a of the 
large-size tape cassette 11 butts against the pair of large cassette 
stoppers 38 (arranged in the right-left direction) in the direction of 
arrow e, and the front end 11a is positioned on the horizontal reference 
line X. A lock lever of the opening/closing lid 16 of the large-size tape 
cassette 11 is released by an upright piece that is erected on the bottom 
plate 34. 
As shown in FIGS. 3A-3B and 4A-4B, a cassette pressing member 48 is 
disposed horizontally at such a position as to traverse the pair of small 
cassette guides 39 and deviate to the top plate 34c which bridges the 
right and left side plates 34b. The cassette pressing member 48 is 
attached to the cassette holder 34 between the right and left side plates 
34b so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows m and n through a 
pair of fulcrum pins 49 (arranged in the right-left direction). The 
cassette pressing member 48 is rotationally urged in the cassette pressing 
direction of arrow m by a pair of tension coil springs 50 (urging means; 
arranged in the right-left direction). 
In the above-configured cassette container to which the present invention 
is not applied, the small-size tape cassette 12 is mounted in the 
following manner. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 3A-3B, the small-size tape 
cassette 12 that is oriented vertically with its front end 12a down is 
inserted, in the direction of arrow e, into the approximately central (in 
the right-left direction) portion of the cassette holder 34 that is 
located at the cassette input/output position P.sub.1, and further 
inserted between the pair of small cassette guides 39. Further, while the 
small-size tape cassette 12 is pressed against the bottom plate 34a in a 
parallel manner by the cassette pressing member 48 which is rotationally 
urged in the direction of arrow m by the tension coil springs 50, the 
small-size tape cassette 12 is inserted in the direction of arrow e deep 
into the cassette holder 34 to the insertion reference position where it 
abuts against the pair of small cassette stoppers 46 of the pair of small 
cassette guides 39 and is thereby stopped. When completion of the 
insertion of the small-size tape cassette 12 into the cassette holder 34 
is detected by a sensor that is attached to the cassette holder 34, the 
pair of reel bases 22 on the mechanical deck 21 are instantaneously moved 
in the directions of arrows a as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the interval 
between the reel bases 22 is automatically adjusted to the small interval 
L.sub.1 suitable for the small-size tape cassette 12. 
After the completion of the insertion of the small-size tape cassette 12, 
the door 36 is pushed by a finger in the direction of arrow d as shown in 
FIG. 1B, whereby the cassette holder 34 is pressed (translated) in the 
direction of arrow d from the cassette input/output position P.sub.1 to 
the cassette mounting position P.sub.2 within the outer case 2 through the 
opening 3. Thus, the small-size tape cassette 12 is mounted on the 
mechanical deck 21 as shown in FIG. 5. At the cassette mounting position 
P.sub.2, the cassette holder 34 is automatically locked on the mechanical 
deck 21 by a lock mechanism. During the cassette mounting operation, the 
door 36 is slid with respect to the cassette holder 34 in the direction of 
arrow f, to close the opening 3 of the outer case 2. At this time, as a 
result of the insertion of the cassette holder 34 to the cassette mounting 
position P.sub.2, the opening/closing lid 16 of the small-size tape 
cassette 12 is opened in the direction of arrow o by a lid opening/closing 
member, to enable the magnetic tape 14 in the small-size tape cassette 12 
to be pulled out downward from the central opening 15. In removing the 
small-size tape cassette 12, the lock of the cassette holder 34 on the 
mechanical deck 21 is canceled upon depression of the ejection button. 
Then, as shown in FIG. 1A, as described above, the cassette holder 34 is 
popped up (translated) in the direction of arrow c by the pop-up mechanism 
from the cassette mounting position P.sub.2 to the cassette input/output 
position P.sub.1 through the opening 3. Further, as described above, the 
door 36 is slid with respect to the cassette holder 34 in the direction of 
arrow e, whereby the cassette input/output mouth 35 of the cassette holder 
34 is opened widely. 
The large-size tape cassette 11 is mounted in the following manner. As 
shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A-4B, the large-size tape cassette 11 that is 
oriented vertically with its front end 11a down is inserted, in the 
direction of arrow e, between the right and left side plates 34b of the 
cassette holder 34 that is located at the cassette input/output position 
P.sub.1. Further, while the large-size tape cassette 11 is pressed against 
the bottom plate 34a in a parallel manner by the cassette pressing member 
48, the large-size tape cassette 11 is inserted in the direction of arrow 
e deep into the cassette holder 34 to the insertion reference position 
where it abuts against the pair of large cassette stoppers 38 and is 
thereby stopped. At this time, a bottom face 11b of the large-size tape 
cassette 11 goes onto the slant faces 44 and then the top faces of the 
pair of small-cassette guides, whereby the pair of small cassette guides 
39 escape, i.e., lower in the direction of arrow d to the side of the 
bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a against the leaf springs 40. 
Thus, the large-size tape cassette 11 passes over the pair of small 
cassette guides 39 and is inserted in the direction of arrow e. When 
completion of the insertion of the large-size tape cassette 11 into the 
cassette holder 34 is detected by the sensor that is attached to the 
cassette holder 34, the pair of reel bases 22 on the mechanical deck 21 
are instantaneously moved in the directions of arrows b as shown in FIG. 
6, whereby the interval between the reel bases 22 is automatically 
adjusted to the large interval L.sub.2 suitable for the large-size tape 
cassette 11. 
After the completion of the insertion of the large-size tape cassette 11, 
as described above, the door 36 is pushed by a finger in the direction of 
arrow d as shown in FIG. 2B, whereby the cassette holder 34 is pressed 
(translated) in the direction of arrow d from the cassette input/output 
position P.sub.1 to the cassette mounting position P.sub.2 within the 
outer case 2 through the opening 3. Thus, the large-size tape cassette 11 
is mounted on the mechanical deck 21 as shown in FIG. 6. The 
opening/closing lid 16 of the large-size tape cassette 11 is opened in the 
direction of arrow o by the lid opening/closing member, and the opening 3 
of the outer case 2 is closed by the door 36 that has been slid in with 
respect to the cassette holder 34 in the direction of arrow f. In removing 
the large-size tape cassette 11, as shown in FIG. 2A, as described above, 
upon depression of the ejection button the cassette holder 34 is popped up 
(translated) in the direction of arrow c by the pop-up mechanism from the 
cassette mounting position P.sub.2 to the cassette input/output position 
P.sub.1 through the opening 3. At the same time, as described above, the 
door 36 is slid with respect to the cassette holder 34 in the direction of 
arrow e, whereby the cassette input/output mouth 35 of the cassette holder 
34 is opened widely. 
In the above-configured cassette container to which the invention is not 
applied, as shown in FIG. 7, to adjust the interval between the pair of 
reel bases 22 to the small interval L.sub.1 for the small-size tape 
cassette 12 or the large interval L.sub.2 for the large-size tape cassette 
11, the pair of reel bases 22 are reciprocated in the directions of arrows 
a and b by causing them to make symmetrical circular movements about the 
pair of brake drums 26. On the other hand, since the front end 12a and the 
center in the right-left direction of the small-size tape cassette 12 are 
positioned at the insertion reference positions on the horizontal and 
vertical reference lines X and Y, respectively, on the bottom plate 34a of 
the cassette holder 34, the installation area of the pair of small 
cassette guides 39 on the bottom plate 34a is restricted. As indicated by 
chain lines in FIG. 7, since the pair of small cassette guides 39 are 
disposed right over the pair of brake drums 26, the brake drums 26 
obstruct the small cassette guides 33 when the cassette holder 34 lowers 
to the cassette mounting position P.sub.2. 
Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the small-size tape cassette 12 
is inserted into the cassette holder 34, it is desired that the pair of 
stopper insertion grooves 12b be smoothly engaged with the small cassette 
stoppers 46 of the pair of small cassette guides 39 in the direction of 
arrow e and that the front end 12a of the small-size tape cassette 12 be 
correctly positioned on the horizontal reference line x by the pair of 
small cassette stoppers 46. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the 
large-size tape cassette 11 is inserted into the cassette holder 34, it is 
desired that the bottom face 11b of the large-size tape cassette 11 cause 
the pair of small cassette guides 39 to smoothly escape to the side of the 
bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a. To these ends, as shown in FIG. 
11B, it is preferable that each of the small cassette guides 39 be set so 
as to be inclined from the bottom plate 34a along the cassette inserting 
direction of arrow e to have an elevation angle .theta..sub.1 in the state 
that the pair of small cassette guides 39 are protruded to the side of the 
top face 34a' of the bottom plate 34a in the direction of arrow c by the 
height H.sub.1. 
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 10-12, each of leaf springs 40 which 
are arranged symmetrically at the right and left positions to support the 
pair of small cassette guides 39 is usually configured such that a front 
leaf spring portion 40a and a rear leaf spring portion 40b for supporting 
a front portion 39A and a rear portion 39B of each small cassette guide 
39, respectively (the terms "front" and "rear" are defined in the cassette 
inserting direction of arrow e) extend from a base portion 40c to become 
two branches. The base portion 40c is fixed to the bottom face 39c of the 
associated small cassette guide 39 by welding or the like, while free end 
portions 40d and 40e as outside end portions of the front and rear leaf 
spring portions 40a and 40b, respectively, are fixed to the bottom face 
34a" of the bottom plate 34a by means of the pair of caulking pins 41. If 
the front and rear leaf spring portions 40a and 40b are simply given the 
same width W.sub.1 and length L.sub.3, they have the same resilient force. 
Thus, as shown in FIGS. 11A-11B and 12, the leaf spring 40 causes the 
associated small cassette guide 39 to be translated in the directions of 
arrows c and d between the top face 34a' side and the bottom face side 
34a" of bottom plate 34a of the cassette holder 34 while maintaining the 
slanted posture with the elevation angle .theta..sub.1. In this structure 
in which each small cassette guide 39 is translated in the directions of 
arrows c and d while maintaining the slanted posture with the elevation 
angle .theta..sub.1, a movement stroke S.sub.1 of the front portion 39A 
and the rear portion 39B becomes two to three times longer than a 
thickness T.sub.1 of the small cassette guide 39. 
As a result, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11B, the height H.sub.2 becomes very 
large which is an escape margin for the event that the large-size tape 
cassette 11 causes the small cassette guides 39 to escape to the side of 
the bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a of the cassette holder 34 in 
the direction of arrow d, requiring a large interval between the bottom 
plate 34a and the mechanical deck 21 as explained below. The pair of brake 
drums 26 as obstacles are disposed right under the pair of small cassette 
guides 39 that escape to the side of the bottom face 34a" of the bottom 
plate 34a. A minimum clearance (escape margin) H.sub.3 necessary to 
prevent the stopper pieces 45 and the front portions 39A from contacting 
(interfering with) the top portions of the brake drums 26 and an absolute 
height H.sub.4 of the brake drums 26 with respect to the mechanical deck 
21 need to be secured between the small cassette guides 39 and the 
mechanical deck 21. Therefore, the interval S.sub.2, which is calculated 
as S.sub.2 =H.sub.2 +H.sub.3 +H.sub.4, is made large by the height (escape 
margin) H.sub.2. The interval S.sub.2 is an important factor in thinning 
the video tape recorder 4. That is, a large interval H.sub.2 causes a 
problem that the video tape recorder 4 is made thick. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems in the art, 
and an object of the invention is therefore to provide a cassette 
container which can reduce an escape margin for an event that a large-size 
tape cassette causes small cassette guides to escape to a space under a 
bottom plate of a cassette holder. 
According to the invention, there is provided a cassette container capable 
of accommodating plural kinds of cassettes of different sizes, comprising 
a plate for supporting a cassette to be mounted so as to be in contact 
with a surface thereof; a pair of cassette guides for guiding a cassette 
of a given size other than a maximum size among the plural kinds of 
cassettes of different sizes to a mounting position, the pair of cassette 
guides being provided so as to be lowered by a cassette larger than the 
cassette of the given size to a lower side of the plate when the larger 
cassette is inserted; a pair of leaf springs for urging the pair of 
cassette guides toward an upper side of the plate, respectively, wherein 
the pair of cassette guides are inclined toward a cassette insertion side 
when they move to the upper side of the plate being urged by the pair of 
leaf springs, and are rendered approximately parallel with the plate when 
are lowered to the lower side of the plate by insertion of the larger 
cassette. 
In the above cassette container, each of the pair of leaf springs may have 
a front leaf spring portion and a rear leaf spring portion where the 
cassette insertion side is defined as a front side, the rear leaf spring 
portion having a resilient force weaker than the front leaf spring 
portion, wherein a difference in resilient force for urging the pair of 
cassette guides upward renders the pair of cassette guides approximately 
parallel with the bottom plate without inclination when the pair of 
cassette guides are lowered to the lower side of the plate by the larger 
cassette. 
The rear leaf spring portion may have a narrower width than the front leaf 
spring portion. Alternatively, the rear leaf spring portion may have a 
longer length than the front leaf spring portion. 
The above cassette container may further comprise stoppers for restricting 
a sinking length of front portions of the pair of cassette guides where 
the cassette insertion side is defined as a front side when the pair of 
cassette guides are lowered to the lower side of the plate by the larger 
cassette, whereby the pair of cassette guides are rendered approximately 
parallel with the plate without inclination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described with 
reference to FIGS. 13A-13C to 19A-19C. In these figures, the parts that 
are the same as or correspond to those in FIGS. 1A-1C to 12 are given the 
same reference symbols and redundant descriptions therefor will be 
omitted. 
FIGS. 13A-13C to 16A-C show a first embodiment. A front leaf spring portion 
40a and a rear leaf spring portion 40b of each of a pair of leaf springs 
40 (arranged in the right-left direction) for supporting a pair of small 
cassette guides 39 (arranged in the right-left direction) extend from a 
base portion 40c, are curved into a U-shape, and are arranged 
approximately symmetrically at front and rear positions. Free end portions 
40d' and 40e' of the front and rear leaf spring portions 40a and 40b which 
are close to the associated small cassette guide 39 are fixed to a bottom 
face 34a" of a bottom plate 34a by a pair of caulking pins 41. Because the 
front and rear spring portions 40a and 40b are curved into a U-shape, 
spring effective lengths L.sub.11 and L.sub.12 from the base portion 40c 
to the free end portions 40d and 40e, respectively, are made sufficiently 
large. In the illustrated example, L.sub.11 =L.sub.12. As for the front 
leaf spring portion 40a, a pair of, i.e., inside and outside, spring 
pieces 40a' and 40a" that form the U-shape have the same width W.sub.11. 
On the other hand, as for the rear leaf spring portion 40b, among a pair 
of, i.e., inside and outside, spring pieces 40b' and 40b" that form the 
U-shape, the inside spring piece 40b' has a width W.sub.12 that is 
narrower than a width W.sub.11 of the outside spring piece 40b". That is, 
a relationship W.sub.11 &gt;W.sub.12 holds. With this relationship, the front 
leaf spring portion 40b for supporting a rear portion 39B of the 
associated small cassette guide 39 has resilient force F.sub.2 that is 
weaker than resilient force F.sub.1 of the front leaf spring portion 40a 
for supporting a rear portion 39B of the small cassette guide 39. That is, 
F.sub.1 &gt;F.sub.2. 
Therefore, according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B, when 
each small cassette guide 39 is protruded by the associated leaf spring 40 
to the side of a top face 34a' of a bottom plate 34a through an insertion 
hole 42 in the direction of arrow c by a height H.sub.1, a stopper piece 
45 of the front portion 39A of the small cassette guide 39 abuts against a 
bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a in the direction of arrow c, 
thereby restricting the length of elevation of the front portion 39A of 
the small cassette guide 39 by the front leaf spring portion 40a having 
strong resilient force F.sub.1. The rear portion 39B of the small cassette 
guide 39 is elevated by rotating it about the stopper piece 45 in the 
direction of arrow g by the rear leaf spring portion 40b having weak 
resilient force. Thus, the small cassette guide 39 is protruded to the 
side of the top face 34a' of the bottom plate 34a by the height H.sub.1 
while making a slanted posture with an elevation angle .theta..sub.1 along 
the cassette inserting direction of arrow e. 
Next, a consideration will be given to a case where a large-size tape 
cassette 11 is inserted into the cassette holder 34 that is located at the 
cassette input/output position P.sub.1 (indicated by chain lines in FIG. 
15) and a bottom face 11b of the large-size tape cassette 11 causes each 
small cassette guide 39 to escape to the side of the bottom face 34a" of 
the bottom plate 34a against the associated leaf spring 40 as shown in 
FIG. 13C. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 13C and 14, the sinking length 
in the direction of arrow d of the rear leaf spring portion 40b having 
weak resilient force F.sub.2 becomes longer than that of the front leaf 
spring portion 40a having strong resilient force F.sub.1. Therefore, 
twisting actions occur in the front and rear leaf spring portions 40a and 
40b in the directions of arrow i and j, respectively, such that the 
twisting action in the direction of arrow i in the front leaf spring 
portion 40a having strong resilient force F.sub.1 is stronger than that in 
the direction of arrow j in the rear leaf spring portion 40b having weak 
resilient force F.sub.2. As a result, the rear portion 39B of the small 
cassette guide 39 rotates in the direction of arrow h, so that a movement 
stroke S.sub.14 in the direction of arrow d of the rear portion 39B of the 
small cassette guide 39 becomes longer than a movement stroke S.sub.13 in 
the direction of arrow d of the front portion 39A. When the small cassette 
guide 39 has completely escaped in the direction of arrow d to the side of 
the bottom face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a, the small cassette guide 39 
is rendered approximately parallel with the bottom plate 34a. That is, as 
the small cassette guide 39 escapes in the direction of arrow d to the 
space under the bottom plate 34a, the posture of the small cassette guide 
39 is automatically changed from the slanted posture (see FIG. 13B) to the 
posture approximately parallel with the bottom plate 34 (see FIG. 13C) 
with the elevation angle .theta..sub.1 canceled by the rotation of the 
rear portion 39B in the direction of arrow h. 
Since the small cassette guide 39 is rendered approximately parallel with 
the bottom plate 34a when it escapes in the direction of arrow d to the 
space under the bottom plate as shown in FIG. 13C, a height H.sub.12 as an 
escape margin of the small cassette guide 39 under the bottom plate 34a 
becomes approximately equal to a thickness T.sub.1 of the small cassette 
guide 39 minus a thickness of the bottom plate 34a. That is, H.sub.12 
=T.sub.1 -T.sub.2. The height H.sub.12 is 1/2 to 1/3 of the height H.sub.2 
shown in FIG. 11C and is therefore very low. That is, H.sub.12 &lt;H.sub.2. 
After completion of the insertion of the large-size tape cassette 11 into 
the cassette holder 34 (indicated by chain lines in FIG. 15), the cassette 
holder is lowered (translated) in the direction of arrow d (indicated by 
solid lines in FIG. 15). In this state, an interval S.sub.12 between the 
bottom plate 34a of the cassette holder 34 and the mechanical deck 21 is 
calculated as H.sub.12 +H.sub.3 +H.sub.4, which is much smaller than the 
interval S.sub.2 shown in FIG. 11C. This makes it possible to greatly 
reduce the thickness of a video tape recorder 4. 
Second to sixth embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described 
with reference to FIGS. 17A-17B to 19A-19C. 
In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 17A, all of a pair of, i.e., inside 
and outside, spring pieces 140a' and 140a" of an approximately U-shaped 
front leaf spring portion 140a and a pair of, i.e., inside and outside, 
spring pieces 140b' and 140b" of an approximately U-shaped rear leaf 
spring portion 40b of each leaf spring 40 have the same width W.sub.11. On 
the other hand, an interval L.sub.14 between the pair of spring pieces 
140b' and 140b" of the rear leaf spring portion 140b is made larger than 
an interval L.sub.13 between the pair of spring pieces 140a' and 140a" of 
the front leaf spring portion 40a. Thus, a spring effective length 
L.sub.12 of the rear leaf spring portion 140b is made longer than a spring 
effective length L.sub.11 of the front leaf spring portion 40a, whereby 
resilient force F.sub.2 of the rear leaf spring portion 140b is made 
weaker than resilient force F.sub.1 of the front leaf spring portion 40a. 
In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 17B, all of a pair of, i.e., inside 
and outside, spring pieces 240a' and 40a" of an approximately U-shaped 
front leaf spring portion 240a and a pair of, i.e., inside and outside, 
spring pieces 240b' and 240b" of an approximately U-shaped rear leaf 
spring portion 240b of each leaf spring 40 have the same width W.sub.11. 
Further, the interval between the pair of spring pieces 240b' and 240b" of 
the rear leaf spring portion 240b and the interval between the pair of 
spring pieces 240a' and 240a" of the front leaf spring portion 240a are 
made the same (L.sub.13). On the other hand, a length L.sub.16 from the 
bending point of the pair of spring pieces 240b' and 240b" of the rear 
leaf spring portion 240b to a free end portion 40e is made longer than a 
length L.sub.15 from the bending point of the pair of spring pieces 240a' 
and 240a" of the front leaf spring portion 240a to a free end portion 
240d. Thus, a spring effective length L.sub.12 of the rear leaf spring 
portion 240b is made longer than a spring effective length L.sub.11 of the 
front leaf spring portion 240a, whereby resilient force F.sub.2 of the 
rear leaf spring portion 240b is made weaker than resilient force F.sub.1 
of the front leaf spring portion 240a. 
In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 18A, the lengths of front and rear 
leaf spring portions 340a and 340b of each leaf spring 340 are made the 
same (L.sub.3) and hence the spring effective lengths of the spring 
portions 340a and 340b are also made the same (L.sub.11). On the other 
hand, a width W.sub.2 of the rear leaf spring portion 340b is made 
narrower than a W.sub.1 of the front leaf spring portion 340b, whereby 
resilient force F.sub.2 of the rear leaf spring portion 340b is made 
weaker than resilient force F.sub.1 of the front leaf spring portion 340a. 
In the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 18B, the widths of front and rear 
leaf spring portions 440a and 440b of each leaf spring 440 are made the 
same (W.sub.1). On the other hand, a length L.sub.5 +L.sub.6 of the front 
leaf spring portion 440a is made longer than a length L.sub.3 +L.sub.4 of 
the front leaf spring portion 440a, whereby resilient force F.sub.2 of the 
rear leaf spring portion 440b is made weaker than resilient force F.sub.1 
of the front leaf spring portion 440a. 
In the above-described first to fifth embodiments, the resilient force 
F.sub.1 of the front leaf spring portion 440a and the resilient force 
F.sub.2 of the rear leaf spring portion 440b of each leaf spring 40 are 
given a difference (F.sub.1 &gt;F.sub.2). Thus, the second to fifth 
embodiments provide advantages equivalent to those of the first 
embodiment. To obtain a difference in resilient force (F.sub.1 &gt;F.sub.2), 
the shapes of the leaf spring 40 according to the first to fifth 
embodiments may be combined in various manners. 
In the sixth embodiment shown in FIGS. 19A-19C, an escape length 
restricting stopper 47 is provided which restricts the length of the 
escape of the front portion 39A of each small cassette guide 39 in the 
direction of arrow d to the side of the bottom face 34a" of the bottom 
plate 34a of the cassette holder 34. In this case, when the large-size 
tape cassette 11 causes the small cassette guide 39 to escape against the 
leaf spring 540 in the direction of arrow d from the position where the 
small cassette guide 39 is protruded in the direction of arrow c above the 
bottom plate 34a by a height H.sub.1 so as to be inclined with an 
elevation angle .theta..sub.1 (see FIG. 19B) to the side of the bottom 
face 34a" of the bottom plate 34a (see FIG. 19C), the front leaf spring 
portion 540a of the leaf spring 540, for instance, abuts against the 
escape length restricting stopper 47. As a result, the escape length in 
the direction of arrow d of the front portion 39A of the small cassette 
guide 39 is restricted, whereby rear portion 39B of the small cassette 
guide 39 is mechanically rotated about the stopper 47 in the direction of 
arrow h. Thus, the posture of the small cassette guide 39 can reliably be 
changed to one in which the small cassette guide 39 is approximately 
parallel with the bottom plate 34a. Therefore, according to the sixth 
embodiment, the posture of the small cassette guide 39 can reliably be 
changed to one in which the small cassette guide 39 is approximately 
parallel with the bottom plate 34a irrespective of the shape of the leaf 
springs 40 to which the first to fifth embodiments are directed. However, 
the sixth embodiment may be combined with the shapes of the leaf springs 
540 according to the first to fifth embodiment in various manners. 
While the embodiments of the invention have been described above, the 
invention is not limited to those embodiments and various modifications 
are possible based on the technical concept of the invention. 
Although the above embodiments are directed to the cassette container of a 
tape cassette that is applied to a video camera incorporating a video tape 
recorder, the invention is not limited to the tape cassette and entirely 
the same advantages can be obtained even with a disc cassette that 
accommodates a disc or a cassette that accommodates a semiconductor 
memory. That is, the invention provides the same advantages when applied 
to any apparatus that allows use of plural kinds of cassettes of different 
sizes. Further, the number of cassette sizes is not limited to two (large 
and small) but may be three (large, medium, and small) or more. 
The above-described cassette container of a cassette type 
recording/playback apparatus according to the invention provides the 
following advantages. 
When a pair of small cassette guides (arranged in the right-left direction) 
are urged and moved by a pair of leaf springs (arranged in the right-left 
direction) above the bottom plate of the cassette holder, the small 
cassette guides are inclined with respect to the bottom plate with an 
elevation angle along the cassette inserting direction. Therefore, in 
inserting a small tape cassette into the cassette holder, the small tape 
cassette can smoothly be engaged with the small cassette guides. In 
inserting a large tape cassette into the cassette holder, the large tape 
cassette causes the small cassette guides to smoothly escape to the space 
under the bottom plate of the cassette holder against the leaf springs. 
Furthermore, when the large tape cassette inserted into the cassette 
holder causes the small cassette guides to escape to the space under the 
bottom plate of the cassette holder, the posture of the small cassette 
guides is changed so that they become parallel with the bottom plate with 
the elevation angle canceled, to thereby reduce the escape length of the 
small cassette guides under the bottom plate. Therefore, even if obstacles 
such as the brake drums are disposed right under the pair of small 
cassette guides escaping under the bottom plate when the large pate 
cassette that was inserted into the cassette holder at the cassette 
input/output position is mounted into the cassette mounting position by 
means of the cassette holder, the bottom plate can be made very close to 
the obstacles, thereby making it possible to greatly reduce the thickness 
of a cassette type recording/playback apparatus. 
By giving a difference in resilient force between the front and rear leaf 
spring portions, the associated small cassette guide is inclined to have 
an elevation angle when it is moved to the space above the bottom plate 
and is rendered approximately parallel with the bottom plate when it 
escapes to the space under the bottom plate. This realizes a cassette type 
recording/playback apparatus that is simple in structure, can be 
manufactured easily, and has a low cost. 
Further, by restricting the front side escape length of each small cassette 
guide by the stopper when the small cassette guide escapes to the space 
under the bottom plate, the posture of the small cassette guide is changed 
so that it becomes approximately parallel with the bottom plate. 
Therefore, the posture of the small cassette guide can be changed very 
reliably so that it becomes approximately parallel with the bottom plate. 
Thus, the reliability of operation is much improved.