Magnetic tape cassette loading system in recording and/or reproducing apparatus

A magnetic tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus is provided with a novel loading system which includes a magnetic tape cassette holder movable at least horizontally between an eject position wherein the cassette holder extends from the front face of a housing of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus and a loading position wherein the cassette holder is retracted within the housing and the magnetic tape cassette is in its set position. The cassette holder is cooperative with a cassette actuating means which moves a pivotal front closure lid and a sliding lower cassette face closure member of the magnetic tape cassette between open and closed positions. The cassette actuating means is active during the movement of the cassette holder between the eject position and the loading position to open and close the pivotal closure lid and the sliding closure lid of the magnetic tape cassette.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a loading system for loading a 
magnetic tape cassette in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus. More 
specifically, the invention relates to an automatic loading system in a 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus designed for use with magnetic tape 
cassettes having a front pivotal closure lid for openably closing the 
front opening of the magnetic tape cassette, and a sliding closure member 
covering a lower cut-out in the cassette housing. Still more specifically, 
the invention relates to a magnetic tape cassette recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus including a front-loading magnetic tape loading 
system, specifically designed for recording and/or reproducing magnetic 
tape cassettes of the type which have a front pivotal closure lid for 
openably closing the front opening of the magnetic tape cassette, and a 
sliding closure member covering a lower cut-out in the cassette housing, 
such as a peripheral-scan pulse-code modulated (PCM) audio cassette. 
In recent years, various recording and reproducing apparatus have been 
developed to convert analog signals, such as audio signals and the like, 
into digital signals, e.g. PCM signals, which are then recorded on and 
reproduced from magnetic tape serving as a recording medium. Some of these 
apparatus employ rotary heads in order to achieve a relatively high 
recording density. Recording and reproducing apparatus specifically 
designed to record and reproduce PCM signals and employing a rotary head 
will be referred to as a "PCM recorder" throughout the disclosure. A PCM 
recorder, at first, pulls a loop of magnetic tape out through a front 
opening of the cassette and winds the tape around a rotary drum 
accommodating the rotary head and then recording and reproduction is 
performed. In such digital recording and reproducing systems, oily 
deposits, such as fingerprints or the like, and/or dust adhering to the 
tape surface may cause dropout of reproduced signals. 
Various approaches have been tried to protect the magnetic recording 
medium. For example, a closure lid may be used to retractably cover the 
front end opening of the cassette, through which the tape is extracted for 
access by a rotary head. This closure lid is held closed while the tape is 
not in use and is moved to an open position when the cassette is inserted 
into the PCM recorder. In this earlier approach, a drawback may be 
encountered when the closure lid is unintentionally or accidentally 
opened, exposing the tape to oily fingerprints, dust and so forth while it 
is not in use. A locking mechanism which can conveniently lock the closure 
lid in its open and closed positions could resolve this problem. 
Such a magnetic tape cassette which has a tape-protective pivotal lid has 
been disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,255, issued on Sept. 14, 1976, 
to Akio SERIZAWA and assigned to the common assignee to the present 
invention. In the disclosure, the magnetic tape cassette for a magnetic 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus has a housing with an opening 
through which the tape can be withdrawn from the cassette housing for the 
recording and reproduction of signals thereon, as by one or more rotary 
heads, and a lid is provided to normally close the housing opening when 
the cassette is not in use and thereby protect the tape from damage. The 
lid is associated with a latch mechanism for locking the lid in its closed 
position, and this latch mechanism can be released by inserting the 
cassette into a cassette holder. Recently developed magnetic tape 
cassettes additionally include sliding closures or shutters which cover a 
lower opening which allows entry of loading devices and tape reel drives 
of the recording the reproducing apparatus. These sliding closures can 
also move between open and closed positions. The sliding shutters are 
associated with lock mechanism which lock them in both their open and 
closed positions. 
For loading such magnetic tape cassettes having a pivotal closure lid and a 
sliding closure member for recording and/or reproduction, it has become 
necessary to actuate the pivotal lid and the sliding closure member so 
that they may be moved to the open position when loaded into a recording 
and/or reproducing apparatus and to the closed position when ejected from 
the recording and reproducing apparatus. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a 
magnetic tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a 
loading system which can automatically actuate a pivotal closure lid and a 
sliding closure member of a magnetic tape cassette. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic tape cassette 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a front-loading loading 
system which can actuate a pivotal closure lid and a sliding closure 
member between open and closed positions depending upon the position of a 
magnetic tape cassette within the apparatus. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a peripheral-scan recording 
and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a PCM recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus including a magnetic tape cassette loading system which allows 
loading of magnetic tapes having a pivotal closure lid and a sliding 
closure member by simply putting the cassette on a cassette holder of the 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus. 
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, a magnetic 
tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus, according to the 
present invention, is provided with a novel loading system which includes 
a magnetic tape cassette holder movable at least horizontally between an 
eject position wherein the cassette holder extends from the front face of 
a housing of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus and a loading 
position wherein the cassette holder is retracted within the housing and 
the magnetic tape cassette is in its set position. The cassette holder is 
cooperative with a cassette actuating means which moves a pivotal front 
closure lid and a sliding lower cassette face closure member of the 
magnetic tape cassette between open and closed positions. The cassette 
actuating means is active during the movement of the cassette holder 
between the eject position and the loading position to open and close the 
pivotal closure lid and the sliding closure lid of the magnetic tape 
cassette. 
According to one aspect of the invention, a cassette loading system for a 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette which 
has at least a sliding closure member openably closing a cut-out in the 
bottom of the cassette casing, which cassette loading system comprises 
cassette holding means for receiving and holding the magnetic tape 
cassette within a cassette receptacle defined therein, the cassette 
holding means being movable between an eject position, in which it can 
receive a cassette and allow a cassette to be removed, and a loading 
position at which cassette loading is completed, and first means, 
associated with the cassette holding means, for actuating the sliding 
closure member from its closed position to its open position in 
synchronism with movement of the cassette holding means from the eject 
position to the loading position. 
Preferably, the first means comprises a first pusher means for shifting the 
magnetic tape cassette in the cassette receptacle from a first position, 
at which the magnetic tape cassette can be removed from the cassette 
receptacle, to a second position, at which the magnetic tape cassette is 
held within the cassette receptacle, the pusher means being associated 
with the cassette holding means for synchronous operation therewith and 
actuating the sliding closure member from the closed position to the open 
position during shifting of the magnetic tape cassette from the first 
position to the second position. 
In the further preferred embodiment, the recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus is adapted to perform a recording and/or reproducing operation 
for the magnetic tape cassette which includes first locking means for 
locking the sliding closure member in the closed position, and the first 
means also comprises a first unlocking means active during operation of 
the pusher means for unlocking the first locking means of the magnetic 
tape cassette, thereby enabling the sliding closure member to be actuated 
from the closed position to the open position. 
The cassette holding means comprises an elastic means for elastically 
holding the magnetic tape cassette in the second position. 
In the alternative, the cassette loading system in the preferred 
construction also comprises second means, associated with the cassette 
holding means, for actuating the sliding closure member from the open 
position to the closed position in synchronism with movement of the 
cassette holding means from the loading position to the eject position. 
The second means comprises a second pusher means for shifting the magnetic 
tape cassette in the cassette receptacle from the second position to the 
first position, the second pusher means being associated with the cassette 
holding means for synchronous operation therewith and actuating the 
sliding closure member from the open position to the closed position 
during shifting of the magnetic tape cassette from the second position to 
the first position. The magnetic tape cassette also includes second 
locking means for locking the sliding closure member in the open position, 
and the second means also comprises a second unlocking means active during 
operation of the second pusher means for unlocking the second locking 
means of the magnetic tape cassette, thereby enabling the sliding closure 
member to be actuated from the open position to the closed position. 
The cassette holding means may comprise a horizontally movable component 
and a vertically movable component, the vertically movable component 
holding the magnetic tape cassette, the horizontally movable component 
being movable between the eject position and an intermediate position 
located at the intersection between the horizontal movement of the 
horizontally movable component and the vertical movement of the vertically 
movable component, the vertically movable component being movable between 
the intermediate position and the loading position and cooperative with 
the horizontally movable component for horizontal movement therewith. A 
cassette loading system also comprises first locking means for locking the 
vertically movable component at the intermediate position for restricting 
vertical movement thereof during horizontal movement with the horizontally 
movable component, and a second locking means for locking the horizontally 
movable component at the intermediate position for restricting horizontal 
movement thereof, during vertical movement of the vertically movable 
component. 
the cassette loading system further comprises a pair of arms, one end of 
which is associated with the vertically movable member and the other end 
of which is associated with the horizontally movable component, the arms 
being connected by means of a pivot for pivotal movement between a first 
position in which the vertically movable component is vertically offset 
from the horizontally movable component, and a second position in which 
the vertically movable component is in an intermediate position. The arms 
are associated with the first locking means to be locked in the second 
position. 
According to another aspect of the invention, a cassette loading system for 
a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette 
which has a sliding closure member openably closing a cut-out in the 
bottom of the cassette casing, the cassette loading system comprises 
cassette holding means for receiving and holding the magnetic tape 
cassette within a cassette receptacle defined therein, the cassette 
holding means being movable among a first position in which the cassette 
receptacle is exposed for insertion and removal of the magnetic tape 
cassette, a second position horizontally offset from the first position, 
and a third position vertically offset from the second position and at 
which cassette loading is completed; first means, associated with the 
cassette holding means, for driving the latter between the first and 
second positions; second means, associated with the cassette holding 
means, for driving the latter between the second and third positions; and 
timing control means, associated with the first and second means, for 
selectively enabling and disabling operation of the first and second means 
during movement of the cassette holding means, the timing control means 
disabling one of the first and second means while the other of the first 
and second means is in operation. 
Preferably, the cassette holding means comprises a horizontally movable 
component and a vertically movable component, the vertically movable 
component holding the magnetic tape cassette and cooperating with the 
horizontally movable component at the second position for horizontally 
moving together with the horizontally movable component. The horizontally 
movable component is associated with the first means to be driven 
horizontally between the first and second positions while carrying the 
vertically movable component, and the vertically movable component is 
associated with the second means to be driven vertically between the 
second and third positions independently of the horizontally movable 
component while the horizontally movable component is held in the second 
position. 
The cassette loading system also comprises a first locking means for 
locking the horizontally movable component in the first position, a second 
locking means for locking the horizontally movable component in the second 
position, a third locking means for locking the vertically movable member 
in the second position and a fourth locking means for locking the 
vertically movable component in the third position. 
The second and third locking means cooperate with each other at the second 
position so that the second locking means locks the horizontally movable 
component in the second position while the third locking means is 
deactivated to allow vertical movement of the vertically movable 
component, and the third locking means locks the vertically movable 
component in the second position while the second locking means is 
deactivated to allow horizontal movement of the horizontally movable 
component with the vertically movable component. 
Preferably, the cassette loading system further comprises third means, 
associated with the cassette holding means, for actuating the sliding 
closure member between the closed position and the open position during 
movement of the cassette holding means between the first and second 
positions. The movement of the cassette holding means includes a 
horizontal component and a vertical component, the horizontal and vertical 
components intersecting at a third position, and the third means is active 
during horizontal movement of the cassette holding means between the first 
and third positions. The third means is adapted to drive the magnetic tape 
cassette between a set position at which the magnetic tape cassette is 
held within the cassette holding means, and a released position wherein 
the magnetic tape cassette rests freely within the cassette holding means, 
the third means actuating the sliding closure lid between the closed 
position and the open position during movement of the magnetic tape 
cassette between the set position and the released position. 
The cassette loading system is prefereably adapted to perform a recording 
and reproducing operation for the magnetic tape cassette which includes a 
locking means for locking the sliding closure member in the closed 
positions, and the third means unlocks the locking means of the magnetic 
tape cassette while actuating the sliding closure member from the closed 
position to the open position. 
In the preferred construction, the first and second means are driven by a 
common driving means. The driving means includes a driving motor and power 
train, the power train including means for selectively transmitting 
driving force to one of the first and second means. The driving force 
transmitting means comprises a first gear associated with the first means, 
a second gear is associated with the second means, and a third gear 
associated with the driving motor to be driven by the latter and 
selectively transmit the driving force of the driving motor to one of the 
first and second gears. The third gear transmits the driving force to the 
first gear while the vertically movable component is locked at the second 
position, and to the second gear while the horizontally movable component 
is locked at the second position. 
According to a further aspect of the invention, a cassette loading system 
for a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette 
which has a sliding closure member openably closing a cut-out in the 
bottom of the cassette casing, the cassette loading system comprises 
cassette holding means for receiving and holding the magnetic tape 
cassette within a cassette receptacle defined therein, the cassette 
holding means being movable among a first position in which the cassette 
receptacle is exposed to facilitate insertion and removal of the magnetic 
tape cassette, a second position horizontally offset from the first 
position, and a third position vertically offset from the second position 
and at which cassette loading is completed; first means, associated with 
the cassette holding means, for driving the latter between the first and 
second positions; second means, associated with the cassette holding 
means, for driving the latter between the second position and third 
position; third means, associated with the first means, for selectively 
actuating the sliding closure member between closed positions and open 
positions depending upon the cassette holder position between the first 
and second positions; and timing control means, associated with the first 
and second means, for selectively enabling and disabling operation of the 
first and second means during movement of the cassette holding means, the 
timing control means disabling one of the first and second means while the 
other of the first and second means is in operation. 
The cassette holding means is movable in a first horizontal direction and 
in a second vertical direction, and prevented from moving in the second 
direction during movement in the first direction and from moving in the 
first direction during movement in the second direction. 
The third means is active for actuating the sliding closure member between 
the closed position and the open position during the movement of the 
cassette holding means in a horizontal direction. 
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a combination of a 
magnetic tape cassette and a cassette loading system in a recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus for the magnetic tape cassette wherein: 
The magnetic tape cassette includes: 
a cassette casing housing a magnetic tape and having a front opening 
exposing the magnetic tape therethrough, and a cut-out in its floor for 
receiving a tape loading mechanism of a recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus therethrough; 
a pivotal closure lid for openably closing the front opening of the 
magnetic tape cassette; 
a sliding closure member movable between a closed position closing the 
cut-out and an open position opening the cut-out; and 
locking means, associated with the sliding closure member, for locking the 
latter in the closed position and in the open position; and 
the loading system comprises: 
cassette holding means for receiving and holding the magnetic tape cassette 
within a cassette receptacle defined therein, the cassette holding means 
being movable among a first position in which the cassette receptacle is 
exposed to facilitate insertion and removal of the magnetic tape cassette, 
a second position horizontally offset from the first position, and a third 
position vertically offset from the second position and at which cassette 
loading is completed; 
first means, associated with the cassette holding means, for driving the 
latter between the first and second positions; 
second means, associated with the cassette holding means, for driving the 
latter between the second position and third position; and 
third means, associated with the first means, for selectively actuating the 
pivotal closure lid and the sliding closure member between closed 
positions and open positions depending upon cassette holder position 
between the first and second positions. 
According to a yet further aspect of the invention, a combination of a 
magnetic tape cassette and a cassette loading system in a recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus for the magnetic tape cassette wherein: 
the magnetic tape cassette includes: 
a cassette casing housing a magnetic tape and having a front opening 
exposing the magnetic tape therethrough, and a cut-out in its floor for 
receiving a tape loading mechanism of a recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus therethrough; 
a pivotal closure lid for openably closing the front opening of the 
magnetic tape cassette; 
a sliding closure member movable between a closed position closing the 
cut-out and an open position opening the cut-out; and 
locking means, associated with the sliding closure member, for locking the 
latter in the closed position and in the open position; and 
the loading system comprises: 
cassette holding means for receiving and holding the magnetic tape cassette 
within a cassette receptacle defined therein, the cassette holding means 
being movable among a first position in which the cassette receptacle is 
exposed to facilitate insertion and removal of the magnetic tape cassette, 
a second position horizontally offset from the first position, and a third 
position vertically offset from the second position and at which cassette 
loading is completed; 
first means, associated with the cassette holding means, for driving the 
latter between the first and second positions; 
second means, associated with the cassette holding means, for driving the 
latter between the second position and the third position; 
third means, associated with the first means, for selectively actuating the 
pivotal closure lid and the sliding closure member between closed 
positions and open positions depending upon cassette holder position 
between the first and second positions; and 
a timing control means for selectively enabling and disabling operation of 
the first and second means during movement of the cassette holding means, 
the timing control means disabling one of the first and second means while 
the other of the first and second means is in operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A magnetic tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus according 
to the present invention will be described herebelow in terms of the 
preferred embodiments in order to facilitate a better understanding of the 
present invention. The preferred embodiments of the magnetic tape cassette 
recording and reproducing apparatus which will be described in detail 
hereafter are designed to record and reproduce a novel, recently proposed 
magnetic tape cassette specifically designed for PCM audio recording 
and/or reproduction. However, the present invention will be applicable not 
only for that specific PCM audio recording magnetic tape cassette but also 
any magnetic tape cassettes which have the same or similar cassette 
structures. 
Because of the rather complicated structures of the preferred embodiments 
of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the following disclosure 
will be in terms of separate groups of components. Throughout the 
disclosure, the word "front" used with respect to the magnetic tape 
cassette means the side of the cassette having an exposed magnetic tape 
path outside of the cassette casing and accessible to the magnetic heads 
of the recording and reproducing apparatus, and the word "rear" used with 
respect to the magnetic tape cassette means the side opposite from the 
"front side". On the other hand, the word "front" as used with respect to 
the recording and/or reproducing apparatus means the side of the recording 
and/or reproducing apparatus toward which a cassette holder in a magnetic 
tape cassette loading system moves when the magnetic tape cassette is 
being ejected, and the word "rear" as used with respect to the recording 
and/or reproducing apparatus means the side opposite from the "front 
side". 
Magnetic Tape Cassette 
FIGS. 1 to 4 show a PCM audio magnetic tape cassette for which the 
preferred embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is 
specifically adapted to perform a recording and/or reproducing operation. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a magnetic tape cassette 1 generally comprises a 
casing 2 including an upper section 3 and a lower section 4 which are 
connected by threaded bolts (not shown) in a per se well-known manner to 
form a single unit. A transparent window plate 8 is built into the upper 
surface of the upper section 3. A pair of reel hubs 6 and 7 incorporated 
into the cassette casing 2 rotatably engage a pair of reel shaft insertion 
apertures 21. The apertures 21 are forme din the lower section 4 at 
predetermined positions which establish a suitable spacing between the 
reel hubs 6 and 7. A magnetic tape 5 is wound around the reel hubs 6 and 
7. 
A pivotal closure lid 9 is rotatably or pivotally attached to the right and 
left side walls of the cassette casing near the front end of the tape 
cassette 1. When the pivotal closure lid 9 is pivoted away from the front 
surface of the tape cassette, the magnetic tape 5 is exposed, as shown in 
FIG. 3. An essentially rectangular cut-out 4a is formed in the front end 
of the lower section 4. When the magnetic tape cassette 1 is inserted into 
a PCM recorder which will be briefly discussed later, a tape guide system 
or a device constituting part of a tape retaining mechanism (not shown) is 
inserted into the cut-out portion 4a and pulls out some of the tape 5 for 
loading onto a rotary head of the PCM recorder. A sliding closure member 
11 engages the lower section 4 and covers and exposes the cut-out portion 
4a as it slides back and forth. 
While the tape cassette 1 is not in use, the pivotal closure lid 9 is 
located opposite a front opening formed in the front surface of the casing 
2 to cover the latter. At the same time, the sliding closure 11 is in its 
forwardly-shifted position in which it covers the cut-out portion 4a of 
the lower section 4 and thus prevents the tape guide system from reaching 
into the tape cassette 1 for the tape, as shown in FIG. 2. The closure lid 
9 can pivot away from the front surface of the cassette 1 to expose the 
magnetic tape 5, and the sliding closure member 11 can move to the rear to 
expose the cut-out portion 4a so that the tape guide system can reach into 
the cut-out portion 4a to draw some of the magnetic tape 5 out of the 
cassette casing for loading onto a rotary drum for recording or playback. 
Thereafter, when the recording or playback is over and the tape cassette 1 
is returned to the stand-by state, the pivotal closure lid and the sliding 
closure member are returned to the aforementioned closed positions. 
Throughout the rest of this document, the positions of the pivotal closure 
lid 9 and the sliding closure 11 in which they cover the front opening and 
the cut-out portion 4a respectively will be referred to as a "closed 
position" and the position of the lid 9 and the sliding closure 11 in 
which they expose the front opening and the cut-out portion 4a will be 
referred to as an "open position". 
The cassette casing 2 also has a pair of integrally formed tape guide 
columns at the left- and right-hand ends of the front edge of the lower 
section 4, as shown in FIG. 3. The magnetic tape 5 is stretched between 
and around the tape guide columns so as to follow a predetermined tape run 
or path along the front edge of the tape cassette 1 and across the front 
opening over the rotary head. 
The cut-out portion 4a of the lower section 4 extends over a predetermined 
width so as to expose the rear surface of the magnetic tape 5 stretched 
between the tape guide columns. During recording or reproduction, a device 
constituting part of the tape actuating system or tape guide system 
projects into the cut-out portion 4a and draws out a section of the 
magnetic tape 5. The tape actuating system is part of the PCM recorder. 
The pivotal closure lid 9 is elongated along the major dimension of the 
front opening and has arms 9a and 9b projecting from its opposite ends 
which pivotably attach the lid 9 to the front of the cassette casing 2 by 
means of pivot shafts (not shown). Thus, the pivotal closure lid 9 can be 
pivoted to selectively cover and expose the front opening of the cassette 
casing 1. The closure lid 9 also comprises a plate 9c which is elongated 
in the direction of the opening in the cassette casing 2 and covers the 
entire length of the front of the cassette casing 1. When the closure lid 
9 is rotated to the closed position to cover the front of the cassette 
casing 1, the arms 9a and 9b lie flush with the contours of the upper 
section 3 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the closure lid 9 is in 
this position, the sliding closure 11 is held in its forward position 
under the arms 9a and 9b as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by means described 
later. The rotary shafts about which the lid 9 pivots are approximately 
centered on the inner surfaces of the respective arms 9a and 9b. Cut-away 
portions 24 are formed by cutting small grooves into the lower edge of the 
plate 9c toward the left and right extremes of the cut-out portion 4a of 
the lower section 4. 
The sliding closure member 11 has a flattened U-shaped configuration and is 
so mounted on the lower section 4 of the cassette casing 2 that it can 
slide back and forth parallel to the lower surface of the lower cassette 
section 4. Apertures 20 respectively corresponding to the reel shaft 
insertion apertures 21 are formed in the sliding closure member 11 in such 
positions that after the sliding closure member 11 slides all the way 
backwards to expose the cut-out portion 4a, the apertures 20 are 
respectively aligned with the reel shaft insertion apertures 21. 
The sliding closure member 11 comprises a flat plate 10 which lies parallel 
to the lower surface of the lower section 4 and side plates 12 along the 
left and right sides of the flat plate 10 which lie parallel to the outer 
surfaces of the left and right side walls of the lower section 4. Flanges 
(not clearly shown) are formed by bending the upper ends of the side 
plates 12 inwardly. The flanges are restrained vertically but not 
horizontally between the side walls of the upper and lower sections 3 and 
4 after the casing 2 is assembled. 
Contact pieces 15 extend upwards perpendicularly from the flat plate 10 at 
the front of the plate at positions which correspond to the cut-away 
portions 24 of the closure lid 9. The contact pieces 15 enable the 
recording reproducing apparatus to slide the closure 11 to the rear in 
preparation for opening the cassette 1 in a manner described later. 
A hook 19 is formed on the front edge of the flat plate 10. The hook 19 is 
centered between the contact pieces 15. One leg 18b of a torsion spring 
28, the coil of which is housed in the front portion of the lower section 
3, engages the hook 19. The torsion spring exerts a forward biasing force 
on the sliding closure member 11. When the sliding closure member 11 is in 
its open position, as shown in FIG. 3, the torsion spring 18 is stressed 
and exerts a counteracting force biasing the sliding closure member 11 
toward its closed position. 
The sliding closure member 11 is also formed with a circular hole 26 and a 
semicircular cut-out 25. The semicircular cut-out 25 is located at the 
front end of the sliding closure member 11. A thin groove 22 is formed on 
the lower surface of the sliding closure member 11 in the region where the 
hole 26 and the cut-out 25 are formed. The groove 22 has a tapered end 
opening onto the front end of the sliding closure member 11. The hole 26 
and the cut-out 25 are so arranged as to engage a locking projection or 
head 29 of a locking lever 27 which is integrally formed with the lower 
section 4. As will be appreciated, the locking lever 27 has a resilient 
lever section 27b which is thinner than the rest of the lower section for 
added flexibility. The locking head 29 projects downwardly from the free 
end of the locking lever 27b. Along both sides of the locking lever 27, 
elongated slots 28 separate the locking lever section 27b from the lower 
section 4. This enhances the flexibility of the locking lever 27 for freer 
move of its free end, as shown in FIG. 5. The locking head 29 has a 
rounded top which extends downwardly through the hole 26 or the cut-out 
25. The height H of the locking head 29 is selected so that the top of the 
head 29 can lie flush with the lower surface of the sliding closure member 
within the groove 22 and so that the top of the head can rest atop the 
lower surface of the sliding closure member 11. 
The lower section 4 of the casing is formed with a pair of guide grooves 14 
extending along each of the side walls parallel to each other and to 
stepped rests. Neither the rests nor the guide grooves 14 are as deep as 
the arms 9a and 9b of the closure lid 9 are thick. The stepped rests 
receive the upper edges 11g of the sliding closure 11. Also, the guide 
groove 14 slidably receives inwardly depressed indentations formed in the 
side plates 12 of the sliding closure 11. Sliding engagement between the 
rests and the edges and between the guide grooves 14 and the indentations 
13 guides sliding movement of the sliding closure 11 with respect to the 
cut-out portion 4a along the side walls of the lower section 4. 
Positioning holes are formed through the bottom of the lower section 4 
directly under the tape guide columns respectively. 
In the shown construction, when the tape cassette 1 is not in use, the 
closure lid 9 is in its closed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to cover 
the front opening. At the same time, the sliding closure member 11 is in 
its closed position (FIGS. 1 and 2), thus covering the cut-out 4a. In this 
case, the locking head 29 of the locking lever 27 is in engagement with 
the hole 26 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. At the closed position, the upper 
edge of the sliding closure member 11 abuts the lower edge of the arms 9a 
and so restricts pivotal movement of the pivotal closure lid 9. Therefore, 
the pivotal closure lid 9 and the sliding closure member 11 are held at 
the closed positions. 
It should be appreciated that, although a specific magnetic tape cassette 
structure has been disclosed hereabove to facilitate better understanding 
of the preferred embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, 
this specific magnetic tape cassette structure is not essential to the 
present invention. The preferred embodiment of the recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus is applicable to various kinds of the magnetic tape 
cassette, such as those disclosed in the U.S. patent applications Ser. 
Nos. 678,813 filed on Dec. 6, 1984, 704,943 filed on Feb. 25, 1985, and 
711,521 filed on Mar. 14, 1985, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,510, which are 
respectively correspond to the British Patent First Publications Nos. 
2,152,009 and 2,155,905, and the European Patent First Publication No. 
0160822, which are all assigned to the assignee of the present invention. 
The contents of the aforementioned publications are hereby incorporated by 
reference for the sake of disclosure. Also, the U.S. patent application 
Ser. No. 649,725 filed on Sept. 12, 1984 and assigned to the assignee of 
the present invention discloses a sliding closure member which holds the 
pivotal closure lid in its closed position while itself in the closed 
position. The European Patent First Publication No. 0135195 corresponds to 
the aforementioned United States Patent Applications. The content of the 
United States Patent Application are hereby incorporated by reference for 
the sake of disclosure. 
Recording and/or Reproducing Apparatus 
Referring now to FIGS. 6 to 16, the first embodiment of a front-loading 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus, which may be designed for PCM 
recording and/or reproduction, is generally represented by the reference 
numeral 32. The recording and/or reproducing apparatus 32 has a housing 
33. As shown in FIG. 6, a front panel 33a of the housing 33 is formed with 
a cassette receptacle opening 34 through which a cassette holder 83 
(described in detail later) moves between an eject position in which it 
projects from the front panel 33a and a retracted position in which the 
magnetic tape cassette 1 resides within the housing 33. 
Although not clearly shown in the accompanying drawings, the front panel 
33a is provided with various manually operable switches, such as a power 
switch, mode selector switches, an eject switch and so forth. 
In the preferred embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, 
the magnetic tape cassette 1 of FIGS. 1 to 5 can be put on the cassette 
holder 83 when the latter is in its eject position. Simply putting the 
magnetic tape cassette 1 on the cassette holder 83 automatically initiates 
a loading operation in which the locking engagement between the pivotal 
closure lid 9 and the sliding closure member 11 is released, and those 
element are moved to their respective open positions and locked in their 
open positions. Specifically, after the magnetic tape cassette 1 is placed 
on the cassette holder 83, the latter is automatically drawn into the 
apparatus housing 33 to the loading position. At first, the cassette 
holder 83 is moved horizontally and backwards. During this movement, the 
magnetic tape cassette 1 is moved horizontally with respect to the 
cassette holder, which releases the locking engagement between the pivotal 
closure lid and the sliding closure member of the magnetic tape cassette 
and moves them to their respective open positions. Then, the cassette 
holder 83 is lowered to load the magnetic tape cassette into the recording 
and/or reproducing apparatus. 
Each component of the preferred embodiment of the recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus will be described herebelow. 
BASE PLATE 
(FIGS. 7, 8, 10 and 13 to 15) 
A base plate of the preferred embodiment of the recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus is generally represented by the reference numeral 
35. The base plate 35 is housed within the apparatus housing 33. The base 
plate 35 is generally rectangular but may be square. The base plate 35 is 
integrally formed with a pair of lateral supporting strips 35a extending 
along its front edge. 
The base plate 35 is formed with a laterally elongated opening 36 to admit 
reel shafts 37 and 38 which are rotatably supported on a reel base (not 
shown). As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the reel shafts 37 and 38 are 
respectively provided with heads 37a and 38a engageable with the 
corresponding reel hubs 6 and 7 of the magnetic tape cassette 1. The reel 
shafts 37 and 38 with the heads 37a and 38a extend through the elongated 
opening 36 until the heads project above the base plate 35. 
A rotary head drum 39 is mounted near the rear edge of the base plate 35, 
as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. In the shown embodiment, the rotary head drum 
39 is designed for PCM audio recording and/or reproduction. 
A pair of positioning pins 40 and 41 extend upwards from the base plate 35. 
The positioning pins 40 and 41 lie rearward of the elongated opening 36 
and are spaced apart. The positioning pins 40 and 41 are positioned so as 
to oppose and engage positioning holes formed in the lower section 4 of 
the magnetic tape cassette, as will be described later. 
A contact strip 42 is fixed to the front edge of the base plate 35 at a 
point to the right of the center of the base plate, as viewed in FIG. 7. 
The contact strip 42 has a horizontal section 42a and a vertical section 
42b. The horizontal section 42a is fixedly secured to the upper surface of 
the front edge of the base plate 35 by means of fastening screws or bolts. 
The vertical section 42b extends above the horizontal section 42a and has 
a forward-facing contact face. The contact face of the vertical section 
42b is intended to abut a cassette pusher lever 178 which will be 
described later, in order to cause pivotal movement of the cassette pusher 
lever 178 during cassette loading. 
It should be noted that a tape drive mechanism, a tape loading mechanism 
which is adapted to wrap and unwrap the magnetic tape 5 onto and from the 
rotary head drum 39, and so forth are mounted on the base plate 35. 
However, in order to simplify the drawings and avoid unnecessary 
confusion, those mechanisms which are not directly related to the subject 
matter of the present invention have been left out of the drawings and 
disclosure. 
In practice, the preferred embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus according to the invention employs a tape loading mechanism as 
disclosed in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 827,640, 
filed on Feb. 10, 1986, and the European Patent Application No. 86 301 
040.1, filed on Feb. 14, 1986, which European Patent Application 
corresponds to the aforementioned U.S. patent application. Both of the 
above-identified co-pending applications have been assigned to the 
assignee of the present invention. The contents of the aforementioned 
co-pending applications are hereby incorporated by reference for the sake 
of disclosure. 
CASSETTE LOADING MECHANISM 
(FIGS. 7 and 9 to 15) 
A cassette loading mechanism is generally represented by the reference 
numeral 43. The cassette loading mechanism 43 comprises the cassette 
holder 84 which receives the magnetic tape cassette 1 and carries it 
between the aforementioned eject and loading positions, a sliding frame 65 
supporting the cassette holder so as to be free to move vertically, the 
sliding frame 65 itself being free to move longitudinally relative to the 
apparatus housing 33, a mechanical chassis 44 movably mounting the sliding 
frame, and a drive mechanism for the cassette loading mechanism. The 
cassette loading mechanism 43 also comprises a cassette pushing mechanism 
for pushing the cassette into the apparatus so as to open the pivotal 
closure lid 9 and the sliding closure member 11 upon loading and out of 
the apparatus for closing the pivotal closure lid and the sliding closure 
member upon ejecting. 
Each component of the cassette loading mechanism will be described 
herebelow in a corresponding sub-section. 
MECHANICAL CHASSIS 
(FIGS. 7, 9 to 11 and 14 to 16) 
The mechanical chassis 44 is generally rectangular. The mechanical chassis 
44 has a base section 45 forming the rear half thereof. A pair of 
longitudinal strip sections 46 extend longitudinally from opposite sides 
of the front edge of the base section 45. The two longitudinal strip 
sections 46 are essentially parallel to each other. As best shown in FIG. 
10, the front ends of the longitudinal strip sections 46 are bent downward 
until the bent sections lie perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the 
remaining sections. A transverse front end strip section 47 is formed 
integrally with the vertically bent front ends of the longitudinal strip 
sections 46. The transverse section 47 thus connects the two bent front 
end sections of the longitudinal strip sections 46. The transverse section 
47 is coplanar with the bent front end sections of the longitudinal strip 
sections 46. 
A plurality of cylindrical supports 48 are interposed between the support 
strips 35a of the base plate 35 and the horizontal portion of the 
longitudinal strip sections 46, and between the base plate 35 and the base 
section 45 of the mechanical chassis 44. The cylindrical supports 48 serve 
to support the mechanical chassis 44 above the base plate 35 while holding 
them essentially parallel. The cylindrical supports 48 also serve as 
spacers maintaining a predetermined clearance between the mechanical 
chassis 44 and the base plate 35. 
L-shaped brackets 49 and 50 are mounted near the front ends of the 
longitudinal strip sections 46. The brackets 49 and 50 are secured onto 
the upper horizontal surfaces of the longitudinal strip sections 46 by 
means of fastening screws. The brackets 49 and 50 respectively have 
vertical sections 49a and 50a. As will be seen from FIG. 10, the vertical 
section 49a extends higher than the vertical section 50a. 
A vertical tab 51 on the right-hand edge and slightly frontward of the rear 
edge of the mechanical chassis 44 opposes the vertical section 49a. 
Similarly, the left-hand corner of the rear edge of the mechanical chassis 
44 is bent upwardly to form a vertical tab 52. The tabs 51 and 52 are 
longitudinally aligned with the vertical sections 49a and 50a of the 
brackets 49 and 50 respectively. Essentially cylindrical guide rails 53 
and 54 extend between respective pairs of the vertical tabs and the 
vertical sections 49a, 51, and 50a, 52. These guide rails 53 and 54 allow 
the sliding frame 65 to slide longitudinally. The guide rails 53 and 54 
extend parallel to each other and to the upper horizontal plane of the 
mechanical chassis 44. 
A wire driver gear 55 is suspended beneath the mechanical chassis 44 by 
means of a stationary shaft 57 which extends downwards from the lower 
surface of the rear-right corner of the base section 45. The wire driver 
gear 55 is rotatable about the stationary shaft 57. A wire pulley 56 is 
integrally formed with the wire driver gear 55 for rotation therewith. 
A wire pulley 58 is mounted below and near the front end of the right-hand 
longitudinal strip section 46. The wire pulley 58 is rotatably supported 
by a stationary pulley shaft 59 extending from the lower surface of the 
right-hand longitudinal strip section 46. As will be seen from FIGS. 6 and 
7, the wire pulley 58 is of smaller diameter than the wire pulley 56 
integrally formed with the wire driver gear 55. 
A guide pulley 60 is suspended beneath the mechanical chassis 44. The guide 
pulley 60 is positioned between the wire pulleys 56 and 58 near the 
juncture of the right-hand longitudinal strip section 46 and the base 
section 45. The guide pulley 60 is rotatably supported by a pulley shaft 
61 which extends downward from the mechanical chassis 44. A drive wire 81 
is stretched between the wire pulleys 56 and 58 via the guide pulley 60. 
An essentially L-shaped strip 62 extends downwards from the base section 45 
of the mechanical chassis 44. The strip 62 is formed by cutting around the 
corresponding section of the base section 45 and bending it into an 
L-shape with its horizontal section pointing transversely. 
A cut-out 63 is formed slightly to the left of the center of the front edge 
of the base section 45, as best shown in FIG. 10. An opening 64 is passes 
through the base section 45 near the cut-out 63. 
The mechanical chassis 44 constructed as set forth above is received within 
the apparatus housing 33. When the mechanical chassis 44 is set within the 
housing 33, the vertical front face of the transverse strip section 47 
opposes the back surface of the front panel 33a. In addition, the upper 
edge of the transverse strip section 47 lies in essentially the same 
horizontal plane as the lower edge of the cassette receptacle opening 34. 
SLIDING FRAME 
(FIGS. 7, 9, 10, 13 to 15) 
The sliding frame 65 is supported by the guide rails 53 and 54 described 
above. The sliding frame 65 is free to move longitudinally along the guide 
rails 53 and 54. 
The sliding frame 65 has a pair of side walls 66 and 67. The side walls 66 
and 67 are longitudinally elongated and have essentially the same 
configuration. However, the left-hand side wall 67 is slightly longer than 
the right-hand side wall 66. The side walls 66 and 67 have matching front 
end sections which lie in a lower plane than the rest of the side wall 
length. The front end sections are connected to the rest of the side walls 
66 and 67 by dog-legs, as best shown in FIG. 12. Pairs of tabs 68 extend 
horizontally and laterally inward from the lower edges of the front end 
sections. 
The sliding frame 65 also has a horizontal front plate 69. The lateral 
edges of the front plate 69 are secured to the tabs 68 of the side-walls 
66 and 67 by means of fastening screws. The rear edge of the front plate 
69 has a cut-out 70 near its left-hand edge. A pivot pin 71 protrudes from 
the upper surface of the front plate 69 near the cut-out 70 but shifted 
slightly toward the center. The pivot pin 71 pivotably supports cassette 
pusher lever 178 which will be described later. 
The front plate 69 also has threaded holes 72 near both lateral edges. 
Supporting strips 73 extend inward from the upper edges of the side walls 
66 and 67. The supporting strips 73 lie horizontally and slightly rearward 
of the longitudinal center of the side walls. Threaded holes 74 pass 
through the supporting strips 73. 
A lateral cross-member 75 is secured at both ends to the rear parts of the 
supporting strips 73. A U-shaped cut-out 76 is centered in the front edge 
of the cross-member 75. 
A guide block 77 is secured to the outer surface of the side wall 66 by 
means of fastening screws. The guide block 77 is positioned at the rear 
end of the side wall 66 and has a pair of guide rail grippers 77b with 
outward-facing U-shaped grooves 77a. The U-shaped grooves 77a can 
slidingly engage the aforementioned guide rail 53 of the mechanical 
chassis to facilitate sliding movement. Similarly, a guide block 78 is 
fixed to the outer surface of the side wall 67 by at its rear end means of 
fastening screws. The guide block 78 has a pair of outward extensions 78b, 
through which guide rail receiving holes 78a are formed. The 
aforementioned guide rail 54 of the mechanical chassis passes through the 
holes 78a to allow longitudinal sliding movement of the latter. The 
vertical sections 49a and 50a of the brackets 49 and 50 which support the 
front ends of the guide rails 53 and 54 as set forth above serve as 
stoppers limiting frontward movement of the guide blocks 77 and 78. 
Similarly, the vertical tabs 51 and 52 of the mechanical chassis, which 
support the rear ends of the guide rails 53 and 54 as set forth above 
serve as stoppers limiting rearward movement of the guide blocks 77 and 
78. 
It should be noted that the position of the sliding frame 65 at which the 
guide blocks 77 and 78 are in contact with the vertical sections 49a and 
50a of the brackets 49 and 50, will hereafter be referred to as the 
"drawn-out position". The position of the sliding frame 65 at which the 
guide blocks 77 and 78 are in contact with the vertical tabs 51 and 52 
will hereafter be referred to as the "drawn-in position". At the drawn out 
position, the sliding frame 65 protrudes from the apparatus housing 33 
through the cassette receptacle opening 34 of the front panel 33a. At the 
drawn in position, the sliding frame 65 resides fully within the apparatus 
housing. 
The position of the cut-out 70 in the front plate 69 of the sliding frame 
65 is laterally opposed to the position of the contact strip 42 of the 
base plate 35. When the sliding frame 65 is in the drawn in position, the 
peripheral edge of the cut-out 70 is separated from the contact strip 42. 
A generally L-shaped plate 79 is fixed to the upper surface of the guide 
block 78. The plate 79 has an essentially horizontal section secured to 
the guide block 78 by means of one or more fastening screws, and a 
vertical section extending downward from the outwardly protruding free end 
of the horizontal section. Generally, the plate 79 passes over the guide 
block 78. The vertical section of the plate 79 has a flat surface opposing 
the side wall 67. A pin 80 protrudes from the vertical section of the 
plate 79 toward the side wall 67. The pin 80 is designed to anchor the 
ends of a drive wire 81 used to drive the sliding frame longitudinally 
along the guide rails 53 and 54. 
WIRE 
(FIGS. 7, 9, 10 and 15) 
The drive wire 81 has loops 81a and 81b at both ends. The loop 81a engages 
the pin 80 of the L-shaped plate 79. The drive wire 81 extends rearward 
from the loop 81a and is wound around the wire pulley 56 about 1 and half 
turns. From the wire pulley 56, the drive wire 81 extends frontwards via 
the guide pulley 60 and is wound another 1 and half turns around the wire 
pulley 58. Then, the drive wire 81 again extends rearwards and the loop 
81b is attached to the pin 80 via a limiter spring 82. The limiter spring 
82 is designed to absorb excessive tension applied to the drive wire. 
When the sliding frame 65 is to move from the drawn in position to the 
drawn out position, the wire pulley 56 is driven clockwise as viewed in 
FIG. 7 by means of the wire driver gear 55. The drive wire 81 is thus 
driven so as to pull the sliding frame 65 forward. This driving directions 
of the wire driver gear 55, the wire pulley 56 and the drive wire 81 will 
hereafter be referred to as "forward driving direction". On the other 
hand, in order to drive the sliding frame 65 from the drawn out position 
to the drawn in position, the wire pulley 56 with the wire driver gear 55 
are driven counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 7. According to this, the 
drive wire 81 is driven to drive the sliding frame 65 rearward. This 
driving direction of the wire driver gear 55, the wire pulley 56 and the 
drive wire 81 will hereafter be referred to as "backward driving 
direction". 
CASSETTE HOLDER 
(FIGS. 7 to 9, 12 to 14, 16, 17(A) and 17(B)) 
The cassette holder 83 is generally in the form of a rectangular box with 
its elongated sides lying in the lateral direction of the apparatus 32. 
The lateral width of the cassette holder 83 is slightly less than the 
distance between the side walls 66 and 67 of the sliding frame 65. The 
cassette holder 83 has an essentially rectangular, laterally elongated 
bottom plate 84. Side walls 85 and 86 extend upward from the lateral edges 
of the bottom plate 84. The bottom plate 84 has a pair of through openings 
87 which are spaced apart at positions corresponding to the reel shaft 
insertion apertures 21 of the magnetic tape cassette 1. 
The bottom plate 84 also has a cut-out 88 at the center of its rear edge 
and rearward projecting strips 89 at the lateral ends of the cut-out 88. 
Each strip 89 has an upward extending contact piece 90. The contact pieces 
90 serve as dogs for pushing the sliding closure member 11 of the magnetic 
tape cassette as the sliding closure member 11 is driven from the closed 
position to the open position. 
A longitudinally elongated projection 91 is formed on the bottom plate 84. 
The projection 91 projects upwards from the plane of the bottom plate 84. 
The projection 91 is disposed at a lateral position corresponding to the 
groove 22 of the sliding closure member 11 of the magnetic tape cassette 1 
discussed above and its height essentially matches the depth of the groove 
22. The front and rear ends 91a and 91b of the projection 91 taper down 
toward the plane of the plate 84. The projection 91 serves to release the 
locking engagement between the aforementioned locking head 29 of the 
locking lever 27 and the cut-out 25 or the hole 26 of the sliding closure 
member 11 when the magnetic tape cassette 1 moves longitudinally relative 
to the cassette holder 83. 
It should be appreciated that the projection 91 may be formed on the bottom 
plate 84 by pressing. However, if necessary, the projection 91 can be 
formed independently of the bottom plate and secured to the bottom plate 
at the proper position thereafter. In the later case, it would be 
convenient to mold the projection out of a synthetic resin. 
The bottom plate 84 of the cassette holder 83 also has an essentially 
U-shaped recess 92 at the center of its front edge. The side walls 85 and 
86 have longitudinal guide openings 93 and 94. The guide openings 93 and 
94 are located near the rear ends of the side walls 85 and 86 
respectively. 
CASSETTE HOLDER SUPPORTING ARM 
(FIGS. 8, 9, 12 to 14) 
Two pairs of arms 95, 96, 97 and 98 are associated with the cassette holder 
83 set forth above so that they can support the cassette holder in a 
vertically movable fashion. The arms 95 and 96 are disposed to the right 
of the cassette holder 83 and the arms 97 and 98 are arranged to the left. 
The arms 95, 96, 97 and 98 have circular holes 95a, 96a, 97a and 98a 
through their centers. The circular openings 95a and 96a of one pair of 
the arms 95 and 96 are aligned with each other. Similarly, the circular 
openings 97a and 98a of the arms 97 and 98 are aligned with each other. 
Each pair of arms 95, 96 and 97, 98 is pivotably connected by means of a 
connecting pin 99 and 100 which extends through the circular openings 95a, 
96a, and 97a, 98a, respectively. 
The aforementioned side walls 66 and 67 of the sliding frame 65 have 
longitudinal guide openings 101 and 102. Movable pins 103 and 104 extend 
through respectively corresponding guide openings 101 and 102, and so are 
free to slide longitudinally along the guide openings. Fixed pins 105 and 
106 extend laterally outward from the front ends of the side walls 85 and 
86 of the cassette holder 83. The arms 95 and 96 have through holes 95b, 
95c and 96b and 96c at either longitudinal end. Similarly, the arms 97 and 
98 have through holes 97b, 97c and 98b, 98c at either longitudinal end. 
The movable pins 103 and 104 respectively engage the through holes 95c and 
97c of the arms 95 and 97. On the other hand, the fixed pins 105 and 106 
engage the through holes 95b and 97b. Therefore, the fixed pins 105 and 
106 form pivots for the arms 95 and 97. 
Movable pins 107 and 108 extend through the guide openings 93 and 94 in the 
side walls 85 and 86 of the cassette holder 83. The movable pins 107 and 
108 are thus free to move along the guide openings 93 and 94. The movable 
pins 107 and 108 engage the through holes 96c and 98c of the arms 96 and 
98. The through holes 96b and 98b in the other ends of the arms 96 and 98 
are pivotally engaged with fixed pins 109 and 110 extending from the side 
walls 66 and 67 of the sliding frame 65. Therefore, the arms 96 and 98 are 
pivotable about the fixed pins 109 and 110. 
With the supporting structure set forth above, the cassette holder 83 is 
supported above the sliding frame 65 in a vertically movable fashion. The 
vertical movement of the cassette holder 83 with respect to the sliding 
frame 65 is actuated by pivotal movement of each pair of arms 95, 96 and 
97, 98 about the pivot pins 99 and 100, as shown in FIGS. 14(B) and 14(C). 
MECHANISM FOR VERTICALLY ACTUATING CASSETTE HOLDER 
(FIGS. 7, 8 to 10 and 12 to 14(C) 
Arm support pins 111 extend from the mutually opposing inner surfaces of 
the side walls 66 and 67 of the sliding frame 65. The arm support pins 11 
are longitudinally located at positions corresponding to the supporting 
strips 73. One end of a bias spring 112 engages one of the arm support 
pins 111 protruded from the side wall 66 of the sliding frame. The other 
end of the bias spring 112 engages the movable pin 103 in order to bias 
the latter rearward, as shown in FIG. 9. 
When the biasing force exerted on the rear ends of the arms 95 and 97, at 
which the circular openings 95c and 97c are formed, the rear ends of the 
arms 95 and 97 shift toward the front ends of the arms 96 and 98, at which 
the circular holes 96b and 98b are formed. Thus, the distance between the 
rear ends of the arms 95 and 97 and the front ends of the arms 96 and 98 
is reduced. This causes frontward and downward shifting of the pivot 
points between the arms 95, 96 and 97, 98. As a result, since the front 
ends of the arms 96 and 98 and the rear ends of the arms 95 and 97 are 
connected to the sliding frame 65, the cassette holder 83 is shifted 
downwardly toward the downwardly shifted position. On the other hand, when 
the rear end of the arm 95c is moved backwardly by the bias spring 112, 
the relative distance between the pin 103 and the pin 109 expands. This 
causes rearward and upward shifting of the pivot point at which the arms 
95 and 96 are pivotally connected by means of the pivot pin 99. This 
results in a rearward shifting of the rear end of the arm 96, at which the 
circular opening 96 is formed. Therefore, the movable pin 107 engaging the 
guide opening 93 of the side wall 85 of the cassette holder 83 is shifted 
rearwardly along the guide opening 93. 
Since the arms 95 and 96 pivot about the pivot pin 99, the frontward 
movement of the front end of the arm 95 includes a component of movement 
causing an upward shift. Therefore, the fixed pin 105 fixed to the side 
wall 85 of the cassette holder 83 is shifted upward during frontward 
movement of the front end of the arm 95. Similarly, the rearward movement 
of the rear end of the arm 96 includes a component of movement causing an 
upward shift. Therefore, the movable pin 107, when shifted rearward due to 
rearward movement of the rear end of the arm 96, also shifts upward. 
Therefore, the cassette holder 83 shifts upward. This relative pivotal 
movement of the arms 95 and 96 and shifting of the cassette holder 83 is 
limited by the positions of the rear end of the elongated guide openings 
93 and 101. At the uppermost position of the cassette holder, the cassette 
holder 83 opposes the sliding frame 65 as illustrated in FIG. 14(A). This 
cassette holder position will be hereafter referred to as the "upward 
shifted position". 
The cassette holder 83 is vertically movable between the aforementioned 
upward shifted position and a downward shifted position, at which the 
cassette holder is positioned as shown in FIG. 14(B). Movement of the 
cassette holder 83 from the upward shifted position to the downward 
shifted position is realized by an actuation mechanism which will be 
described later. When the actuation mechanism is activated, the front end 
of the arm 95 and the rear end of the arm 96 are pivotally shifted to 
approach toward each other. Specifically, this pivotal movement of the arm 
95 includes a component of movement causing a downward shift at the front 
end. Likewise, the pivotal movement of the arm 96 includes a component of 
movement causing a downward shift at the rear end. Since both of the front 
end of the arm 95 and the rear end of the arm 96 are connected to the 
cassette holder 83 via the pins 105 and 107, this downward movement of the 
front end of arm 95 and the rear end of the arm 96 causes downward 
movement of the cassette holder 83. The magnitude of downward shift of the 
cassette holder 83 is determined by the position of the front ends of the 
guide openings 93 and 101. The downward shifted position referred to in 
the disclosure represents the lowermost cassette holder position 
determined by the positions of the front ends of the guide openings. 
The aforementioned actuation mechanism comprises a pair of actuation levers 
113 disposed outside of each of the side walls 66 and 67 of the sliding 
frame 65. The actuation levers 113 are of identical configuration. Each 
actuation lever 113 has an essentially vertical section 113a and an 
essentially horizontal section 113b. The vertical section 113a extends 
downward from the rear end of the horizontal section 113b. The lower end 
of the vertical section 13a has a circular hole pivotally engaging the 
support pin 111. At the juncture of the vertical section 113a and the 
horizontal section 113b, the actuation lever 113 is connected to one end 
of a connection rod 114. The connection rod 114 serves to coordinate the 
movements of the actuation levers 113. 
The front end of the horizontal section 113b of each of the actuation 
levers 113 has an essentially U-shaped recess 115. The recesses 115 engage 
the fixed pins 105 and 106 fixed to the side walls 85 and 86 of the 
cassette holder 83. It will be appreciated that the recesses 115 can 
disengage from the corresponding pins 105 and 106. 
The actuation levers 113 serve to actuate the arms 95 and 96 and the arms 
97 and 98 for upward and downward shifting of the cassette holder 83. The 
actuation levers 113 are associated with the sliding frame 65 so as to be 
actuated according to the longitudinal position of the sliding frame. 
A flat, elongated slider 116 opposes the inner surface of the side wall 67 
of the sliding frame 65. The slider 116 generally comprises a longitudinal 
plate with an inwardly bent rear end 117 and an essentially U-shaped 
recess 118 in its front end. The slider 116 also has a longitudinal 
elongated hole 119 near the inwardly bent rear end 117. 
The recess 118 at the front end of the slider 116 is releasably engageable 
with the movable pin 104 which extends through the guide opening 102 of 
the side wall 67 described above. On the other hand, a guide pin 120 
extends through the longitudinal hole 119. The guide pin 120 extends from 
the inner surface of the side wall 67 of the sliding frame 65 and engages 
the longitudinal hole 119 so as to be free to move therealong. 
The slider 116 is in its rearmost position when the cassette holder 83 is 
in the upward shifted position and is at rest while the cassette holder 83 
is at rest in the upward shifted position. At this time, the guide pin 120 
remains in contact with the front edge of the elongated hole 119. On the 
other hand, as the cassette holder 83 shifts downward toward the downward 
shifted position, the slider 116 moves frontwardly by a frontward shifting 
force exerted against its inwardly bent rear end 117. The mechanism for 
exerting this frontward shifting force will be described later. 
The mechanism for vertically actuating the cassette holder also includes a 
rack plate 121 mounted near the rear end of the mechanical chassis 44 
(FIG. 10). The rack plate 121 is generally longitudinally elongated and 
has guide slots 122 near its front and rear ends. The guide slots 122 
extend longitudinally so as to guide longitudinal movement of the rack 
plate 121 which engages guide pins 127 extending vertically from the upper 
surface of the mechanical chassis 44. The rack plate 121 also has a 
longitudinal guide opening 123 between the guide slots 122. The front end 
of the guide opening 123 extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of 
the major section thereof. This bent end of the guide opening 123 serves 
as a locking recess 123a. The guide opening 123 engages a pin 154 which 
will be described later. 
The rack plate 121 has rack teeth 124 along its right-hand edge and an 
essentially lateral arm 125 on the other edge. The free end of the arm 125 
has a vertical pusher member 126. The pusher member 126 is generally 
cylindrical and abuts the aforementioned inwardly bent rear end 117 of the 
slider 116. 
The rack plate 121 is normally positioned such that the front ends of the 
guide slots 122 are in contact with the guide pins 127. The rack plate 121 
is held in this position until the sliding frame 65 reaches the 
aforementioned drawn-in position. This rack plate position will be 
hereafter referred to as the "rearward shifted position". 
When the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn-in position, the rack plate 121 
is driven frontward by a driving mechanism which will be described later. 
When the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn in position, the pusher member 
126 at the free end of the arm 125 abuts the inwardly bent rear end 117 of 
the slider 116 as shown in FIG. 9. 
As mentioned above, since the rack plate 121 is then driven toward the 
front, the pusher member 126 of the arm 125 pushes the inwardly bent rear 
end of the slider 116 frontward. Thus, the slider 116 and the movable pin 
104 are shifted frontward. Therefore, the arm 97 is pivoted about the 
pivot pin 100 so that its rear end approaches the front end of the arm 98. 
The cassette holder 83 is thus shifted downward to the downward shifted 
position against the biasing force of the spring 112. 
The frontward movement of the slider 116 is limited by the length of the 
elongated opening 119. Specifically, at the frontward shifted position, 
the rear end of the elongated opening 119 of the slider 116 comes into 
contact with the guide pin 120 also to prevent frontward movement. This 
rearward shifted position of the slider 116 corresponds to the downward 
shifted position of the cassette holder 83. 
At this downward shifted position of the cassette holder 83, the reel 
shafts 37 and 38 with the heads 37a and 38a extend upward through the 
openings 87 of the cassette holder. Thus, cassette loading is completed. 
When the rack plate 121 is driven rearward while the cassette holder 83 is 
in the downward shifted position, the frontward biasing force exerted on 
the movable pin 104 is released. As a result, the arms 95, 96 and 97, 98 
are pivoted so as to allow the cassette holder 83 to be shifted from the 
downward shifted position to the upward shifted position by the biasing 
force of the spring 112. 
DRIVING MECHANISM 
(FIGS. 7, 8 and 10) 
A driving motor 128 is mounted on the lower surface of the mechanical 
chassis 44. The driving motor 128 has a drive shaft 128a extending 
upwardly through the mechanical chassis 44. A drive pulley 129 is 
positioned above the upper surface of the mechanical chassis 44 and 
secured to the upper end of the drive shaft 128a of the driving motor 128. 
Therefore, the drive pulley 129 is driven by the driving motor 128. 
The drive pulley 129 is connected by means of an endless belt 131 to a 
pulley 130a which is integrally formed with a power train gear 130. The 
power train gear 130 is associated with a planetary gear train 132 to 
which it transmits the driving force of the driving motor. As shown in 
FIG. 15, the planetary gear train 132 has a support shaft 133. A sleeve 
134 surrounds the support shaft 133. The sleeve 134 is rotatably about the 
support shaft 133. An input gear 135 of the planetary gear train 132 is 
fixed to the lower end of the sleeve 134. The input gear 135 engages the 
power train gear 130 so as to be driven by the driving force transmitted 
by the power train gear. A driving gear 136 of substantially smaller 
diameter than the input gear 135 is fixed to the intermediate portion of 
the sleeve 134 for rotation therewith. An output gear 137 in the form of a 
sun gear is rotatably supported at the top of the sleeve 134. The output 
gear 137 is designed to rotate freely relative to the sleeve 134 and to 
receive rotational force from the driving gear 136 by means of one or more 
planetary gears 142. 
The output gear 137 generally has the shape of an upside-down dish made up 
of an upper horizontal wall and vertical cylindrical walls. The vertical 
cylindrical walls have inside gear teeth 138 engaging the planetary gears 
142. The output gear 137 is integral with a smaller diameter gear 139. The 
planetary gears 142 are supported by pins 141 which extend upward from the 
upper surface of another output gear 140. The output gear 140 has the same 
diameter as the input gear 135. In the shown embodiment, two planetary 
gears 142 are employed. The planetary gears 142 are supported by the 
output gear 140 at diametrically opposed position. 
A reduction gear 144 is supported by a support shaft 143 which extends 
upwards from the strip 62 of the mechanical chassis 44. The reduction gear 
144 has an integral cylindrical sleeve 144a and gear sections 144b. The 
sleeve section 144a surrounds the support shaft 143 and is free to rotate 
thereabout. On the other hand, the gear section 144b has a substantially 
greater diameter than smaller-diameter gear 139 integrally formed with the 
output gear 137. The reduction gear 144 also has a smaller-diameter gear 
section 144c at the lower end of the sleeve section 144a. The 
smaller-diameter gear section 144c lies below the major part of the 
mechanical chassis 44. 
The gear section 144b engages the smaller-diameter gear 139 and so is 
driven to rotate by the driving force transmitted through the planetary 
gear train 132. The gear section 144c, of course, rotates at the same 
speed as the gear section 144b. 
A gear 145 mounted beneath the mechanical chassis 44 engages the gear 
section 144c of the reduction gear 144. The gear 145, in turn, engages the 
wire driver gear 55 described above. 
The driving mechanism also includes reduction gears 146, 147 and 148. The 
reduction gears 146, 147 and 148 have integral smaller-diameter gear 
sections 146a, 147a and 148a respectively. The reduction gear 146 engages 
the output gear 140 of the planetary gear train 132. The smaller-diameter 
gear 146a of the reduction gear 146 engages the reduction gear 147. The 
smaller-diameter section 147a of the reduction gear 147 engages the 
reduction gear 148. The smaller-diameter section 148a of the reduction 
gear 148 engages the rack teeth 124 of the rack plate 121. 
When the motor 128 is running, the revolution of the motor is transmitted 
to the planetary gear train 132 through the drive shaft 128a, the pulley 
129, the belt 131 and the power train gear 130. As described above, the 
driving force is transmitted from the power train gear 130 to the 
planetary gear train 132 through the input gear 135. This force drives the 
input gear 135 to rotate with the sleeve 134 and the drive gear 136. This 
driving force is transmitted to either the output gear 137 or the output 
gear 140 selectively. When the output gear 140 is prevented from rotating, 
the output gear 137 is driven by the driving force transmitted from the 
drive gear 136 through the planetary gears 142. On the other hand, when 
the output gear 137 is prevented from rotating, the output gear 140 is 
driven. 
Specifically, when the output gear 140 is prevented from rotating, the pins 
141 supporting the planetary gears 142 are held in place. Therefore, the 
planetary gears 142 are driven through the drive gear 136 without actually 
turning. Since the planetary gears 142 are synchronously driven via the 
drive gear, they can drive the output gear 137. The rotation of the output 
gear 137 is transmitted to the wire driver gear through the 
smaller-diameter gear 139, the reduction gear 144 and the gear 145. 
On the other hand, when the output gear 137 is prevented from rotating, the 
planetary gears 142 driven to rotate by the drive gear 136 receive a 
counterdriving force from the output gear 137 which causes them to turn. 
Since the planetary gears 142 are supported by the pins 141 extending from 
the output gear 140, the output gear 140 is thus driven to rotate via the 
drive gear 136 and the planetary gears 142. Rotation of the output gear 
140 is transmitted to the rack teeth 124 of the rack plate 121 through the 
reduction gears 146, 147 and 148. 
The driving motor 128 employed in the shown embodiment is a reversible 
motor which can be driven in either a forward or a reverse direction. In 
FIG. 7, when the driving motor is driven forward, the planetary gears 142 
are driven clockwise, and when the motor is driven in reverse, the 
planetary gears 142 are driven counterclockwise. The driving motor 128 is 
driven forward during cassette loading and in reverse durin cassette 
ejection. 
In response to clockwise rotation of the planetary gear 142 due to forward 
rotation of the driving motor 128, the output gear 137, when free to 
rotate rotates clockwise, thus driving the reduction gear 144 
counterclockwise. The gear 145 is thus driven clockwise and in turn drives 
the wire driver gear 55 counterclockwise. This causes backward movement of 
the sliding frame 65. When the output gear 140 is allowed to rotate and 
the planetary gears 142 are driven clockwise, the output gear 140 rotates 
counterclockwise. This causes clockwise rotation of the reduction gear 146 
together with the smaller-diameter gear 146a, which means the reduction 
gear 147 rotates counterclockwise at a reduced speed. The counterclockwise 
rotation of the smaller-diameter gear 147a of the reduction gear 147 
causes clockwise rotation of the reduction gear 148 at a also reduced 
speed. This drives the rack plate 121 forward. 
Therefore, as will be appreciated, by driving the motor 128 forward, the 
sliding frame 65 is driven to the drawn-in position and the rack plate 121 
is shifted frontward, causing downward movement of the cassette holder 83 
to the downward shifted position, whereupon the cassette loading operation 
has been completed. 
Conversely, by driving the driving motor 128 in reverse, the wire driver 
gear is driven clockwise, causing the sliding frame 65 to move forward. 
Similarly, by driving the driving motor in reverse, the reduction gear 148 
is driven counterclockwise, causing rearward movement of the rack plate 
121 and thus upward movement of the cassette holder 83 to the upward 
shifted position. 
CONTROL MEANS 
(FIGS. 7, 8 to 12 and 14) 
The sliding frame 65 has a locking plate 149. The locking plate 149 is 
fixedly secured to the inner surface of the side wall 67 near the rear end 
of the sliding frame. The locking plate 149 has a lateral locking strip 
149a which extends inward from the lower edge of the front end of the 
locking plate 149. The locking strip 149a opposes the longitudinal center 
of the rack plate 121 when in the rearward shifted position. The free, 
forward corner of the locking strip 149a is bevelled at an angle of at 
about 45.degree.. With this construction, the locking strip 149a 
cooperates with a locking pin 159 of a locking lever 157 which will be 
described later. 
The sliding frame 65 is also provided with a cam plate 150. The cam plate 
150 is fixedly attached to the rear half of the lower edge of the side 
wall 67. Near its longitudinal center, the cam plate 150 has a cam section 
151 extending laterally inward from the inner edge of its major section. 
Both the front and rear edges 151a and 151b of the cam section 151 are 
tapered toward the inner edge. The cam section 151 does not extended as 
far inward as the locking strip 149a. 
A locking lever 152, best seen in FIG. 11, serves to restrict longitudinal 
movement of the rack plate 121. The major section 152a of the locking 
lever 152 is generally triangular in plan view. An extension 152b extends 
frontward from the front end of the major section 152a. The locking lever 
152 has a hole 153 at the juncture between the major section 152a and the 
extension 152b. Pins 154 and 155 extend upwards from opposite rear corners 
of the major section 152a. 
The hole 153 in the locking lever 152 receives the guide pin 127 which 
supports the front end of the rack plate 121 and slidingly engages the 
elongated hole 122 in the rack plate. The pin 154 of the locking lever 152 
slidingly engages the elongated hole 123 in the rack plate 121. The 
extension 152b has an aperture which receives one end of a bias spring 
156. The other end of the bias spring 156 engages the opening 64 through 
the mechanical chassis 44. Thus, the bias spring 156 exerts a spring force 
on the locking lever causing pivotal movement of the locking lever 152 
about the guide pin 127. The locking recess 123a of the elongated hole 123 
is designed to oppose the pin 154 when the rack plate 121 is in the 
aforementioned rearward shifted position. At this position, the locking 
lever 152 can be pivotally moved by the bias spring 156 to insert the pin 
154 into the locking recess 123a. As a result, locking engagement between 
the pin 154 and the locking recess 123a is established to prevent the rack 
plate 121 from moving longitudinally. The locking engagement between the 
pin 154 and the locking recess 123a is maintained until the locking lever 
is pivoted against the spring force of the bias spring 156. 
Under these conditions, the pin 155 is located to the rear of the cam 
section 151 of the cam plate 150. During rearward movement of the sliding 
frame 65, the rear edge of the cam section 151 of the cam plate 150 comes 
into contact with the pin 155 and shifts the latter so as to cause reverse 
pivotal movement of the locking lever 152. Therefore, as set forth above, 
the locking engagement between the locking recess 123a and the pin 154 is 
released to allow forward movement of the rack plate 121. 
Another locking lever 157 serves to lock the sliding frame 65. The locking 
lever 157 is generally flat and longitudinally elongated and lies just 
outside of the rack plate 121. The rear end of the locking lever 157 has 
an upright, C-shaped section 157a. A support pin 158 extends upward from 
the upper surface of the mechanical chassis 44 and supports the locking 
lever 157. The upper section of the support pin 158 extends through the 
channel-shaped section 157a and engages the upper horizontal surface of 
the channel-shaped section. The locking lever 157 supported by the support 
pin 158 so as to be free to pivot about the axis of the support pin 158. 
The front end of the locking lever 157 also has a lock pin 159. The lock 
pin 159 extends downward from the lower surface of the front end of the 
locking lever 157. The locking lever 157 also has a contact pin 160 
extending downward from the lower surface of the section between its front 
and rear ends. The contact pin 160 abuts a peripheral face of a cam 
section 161 of the rack plate 121. The cam section 161 has an oblique 
front edge 161a. With this construction, the locking lever 157 is actuated 
to pivot counterclockwise in accordance with frontward movement of the 
rack plate 121, as viewed in FIG. 7. On the other hand, the locking lever 
157 is normally biased to pivot clockwise by a bias spring 163. One end of 
the bias spring 163 engages a pin 162 extending from the upper surface of 
the mechanical chassis and the other end engages the vertical portion of 
the channel-shaped section 157a of the locking lever 157. This spring 
force assures contact between the contact pin 159 and the cam face of the 
cam section 161 and thus ensures counterclockwise pivotal movement of the 
locking lever 157 according to frontward movement of the rack plate 121. 
As will be appreciated from FIG. 7, while the rack plate 121 is in the 
rearward shifted position, the contact pin 159 is in contact with the 
front end of the cam face 161a. When the rack plate 121 is driven 
frontward, the cam face 161a moves frontward, causing lateral displacement 
of the contact pin 159. Accordingly, the locking lever 157 pivots 
counterclockwise against the spring force of the spring 163. 
It should be appreciated that the sliding frame 65 and the cassette holder 
83 are driven by the driving mechanism made up by the locking strip 149a, 
the cam section 151, the locking lever 152 and the locking lever 157, in 
the manner given below. During loading and ejection of the magnetic tape 
cassette 20, the sliding frame 65 and the cassette holder 83 are 
alternatingly locked to prevent moving and released to be free to move. 
During cassette loading or ejection, one of the sliding frame 65 and the 
cassette holder 83 will be locked while the other will be free to move. 
Specifically, during cassette loading, the sliding frame 65 with the 
cassette holder 83 is initially in the drawn-out position in order to 
receive the magnetic tape cassette. At this position, the sliding frame 65 
is free to move toward the drawn-in position. At the same time, the 
cassette holder 83 is locked in the upward shifted position and is 
prevented from moving downward. When the sliding frame 65 reaches the 
drawn-in position, it is locked in place and the cassette holder 83 
becomes free to move downward to the downward shifted position. At the 
downward shifted position of the cassette holder 83, the reel hubs of the 
magnetic tape cassette 20 engage the reel shafts 37 and 38 and thus 
cassette loading is completed. 
Similarly, during ejection, first the cassette holder 83 is shifted from 
the downward shifted position to the upward shifted position. During this 
upward movement of the cassette holder 83, the sliding frame 65 is locked 
in the drawn-in position. After the cassette holder 83 reaches the upward 
shifted position and is locked in the upward shifted position, the sliding 
frame 65 becomes free to move from the drawn-in position to the drawn-out 
position. 
In order to perform the aforementioned selective locking operation, the 
locking lever 152 is actuated by the cam section 151 of the sliding frame 
65 at its fully rearward shifted position, i.e. the drawn-in position. 
Therefore, as long as the sliding frame 65 is somewhere other than the 
drawn-in position, the locking lever 152 is locked in place by locking 
engagement between the locking pin 154 and the locking recess 123a of the 
rack plate 121. This locking engagement, in turn, prevents the rack plate 
121 from moving frontward. Locking the rack plate 121 in the rearward 
shifted position prevents the reduction gear 148 from rotating. Therefore, 
the output gear 140 is locked in place. 
Under these conditions, the output gear 137 is driven by the planetary gear 
train 132 while the driving motor 128 is running. As discussed before, as 
the output gear 137 drives the wire driver gear 55, the sliding frame 65 
is driven frontward or rearward between the drawn-out and drawn-in 
positions. 
As will be appreciated, the rack plate 121 is locked in the rearward 
shifted position under these conditions. Therefore, the cassette holder 83 
is held in the upward shifted position. 
It should be also be appreciated that a detector (not shown) detects when 
the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn out position during frontward 
movement thereof. The detector produces a detector signal which shuts off 
the power supply to the driving motor 128 so as to stop the latter. 
During rearward movement of the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-out 
position to the drawn-in position, the cam section 151 of the sliding 
frame comes into contact with the pin 155 of the locking lever 151. Since 
the tapered edge 151a of the cam section 151 causes pivotal movement of 
the locking lever 151 against the biasing force of the spring 156, the 
locking pin 155 is released from the locking recess 123a when the sliding 
frame 65 reaches the drawn-in position. This permits the rack plate 121 to 
move frontward when driven by the driving motor 128 through the power 
train system. 
At approximately the same time, the locking strip 149a of the sliding frame 
65 opposes the locking pin 159 of the locking lever 157. Since the sliding 
frame 65 is in the drawn-in position, the wire drive gear 55 is prevented 
from rotating. Therefore, the output gear 137 will not rotate. 
Simultaneously, the output gear 140 is released and thus can be driven by 
the driving force of the driving motor 128. 
The driving force of the driving motor 128 transmitted through the 
planetary gear train 132 drives the rack plate 121 frontward. Frontward 
movement of the rack plate 121 in turn drives the cassette holder 83 
downward to the downward shifted position. 
During this frontward movement of the rack plate 121, the cam edge 161a of 
the cam section 161 pushes the contact pin 160 of the locking lever 157 
laterally. Therefore, the locking lever 157 is pivoted counterclockwise. 
As a result, the locking pin 159 comes into engagement with the front edge 
of the locking strip 149a. Therefore, locking engagement between the 
locking pin 159 and the locking strip 149a is established to prevent the 
sliding frame 65 from moving frontward, as shown in FIG. 9. 
At approximately the same time the cassette holder 83 reaches the downward 
shifted position, the rear ends of the slots 122 come into contact with 
the guide pins 127. Thus, the rack plate 121 is also prevented from moving 
frontward. Therefore, at this position, all of the components of the 
cassette loading mechanism are prevented from moving. On the other hand, a 
detector (not shown) detects that the cassette holder 83 is in the 
downward shifted position after cassette loading. The detector then 
produces a detector signal which cuts off the power supply to the driving 
motor. 
In the cassette ejection operation, the driving motor 128 is driven in 
reverse. The driving force of the driving motor 128 is transmitted to the 
planetary gear train 132. At this time, since the sliding frame 65 is 
locked and thus prevented from moving frontward, the output gear 137 is 
also locked. Therefore, the driving force is transmitted to the reduction 
gear 148 through the output gear 140 of the planetary gear train 132, and 
the reduction gears 146 and 147. At this time, the reduction gear 148 
rotates clockwise to drive the rack plate 121 rearward. This causes the 
slider 116 to move rearward due to the resilient force of the spring 112. 
Therefore, the cassette holder 83 moves upward toward the upward shifted 
position. 
As shown in FIG. 8, when the rack plate 121 is in the rearward shifted 
position, the pusher member 126 of the rack plate 121 is positioned in 
opposition to the inwardly bent rear end 117 of the slider 116 with a 
given clearance. The cassette holder 83 reaches the upward shifted 
position before the rack plate 121 reaches the rearward shifted position. 
When the rack plate 121 reaches the rearward shifted position, the locking 
lever 157 becomes free of the lateral biasing force exerted by the cam 
edge 161a of the cam section 161 of the rack plate 121. Therefore, it 
returns to its initial position due to the spring force of the spring 163. 
This pivotal movement of the locking lever 157 releases the locking pin 
159 of the locking leer 157 from the locking strip 149a. Thus, the sliding 
frame 65 is free to move frontward. 
Upon reaching the rearward shifted position, the front ends of the guide 
slots 122 of the rack plate 121 come into contact with the guide pins 127 
which prevent the rack plate 121 from moving also rearward. This prevents 
further rotation of the reduction gear 148 and thus locks the output gear 
140. Since the slider frame 65 is free to move and the output gear 140 is 
locked, the driving force of the driving motor 128 is transmitted to the 
wire driver gear 55 through the output gear 137 of the planetary gear 
train 132. Reverse rotation of the driving motor 128 causes clockwise 
rotation of the wire driver gear 55. Therefore, the sliding frame 65 is 
driven frontward to the drawn-out position. 
According to frontward movement of the sliding frame 65, the locking lever 
152 is pivoted to the locking position. Specifically, during frontward 
movement of the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-in position to the drawn 
out position, the cam section 151 moves away from the pin 155 of the 
locking lever 152. Therefore, the locking lever 152 becomes free from the 
lateral pivoting force exerted by way of the cam section 151. Therefore, 
the locking lever 152 is returned to the locking position, in which the 
pin 154 engages the locking recess 123a, by the spring force of the spring 
156. 
Therefore, the rack plate 121 is locked in the rearward shifted position. 
The rack plate 121 is held in the rearward shifted position until the 
sliding frame 65 is shifted backward to the rearward shifted position. 
The cassette holder 83 is provided with a pair of cassette holding means 
164 at its rear ends. Each of the cassette holding means 164 comprises a 
generally L-shaped support member 165. The support member 165 is made of a 
resilient material and has a vertical section extending upward from the 
rear end of the side wall 85 and 86 of the cassette holder 83, and a 
horizontal section extending laterally from the top of the aforementioned 
vertical section. 
A pusher member 166 is mounted on the lower surface of the horizontal 
section of the support member 165. The pusher member 166 is made of a 
synthetic resin and has an essentially conical downward section and a flat 
upper surface. A pin 167 protrudes upwards from the center of the upper 
surface. The pin 167 extends through an opening 168 through the horizontal 
section of support member 165, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The top of the 
pin 167 is clamped to fix the pushing member 166 onto the horizontal 
section of the support member 165. 
CASSETTE RECEPTACLE 
(FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 13, 14) 
A holder frame 169 is mounted at the front of the sliding frame 65. The 
holder frame 169 has a front wall 170. The front wall 170 conforms in size 
to the cassette receptacle opening 34 in the front panel 33a of the 
housing 33. When the sliding frame 65 is in the drawn-in position, the 
front surface of the front wall of the holding frame 169 lies flush with 
the front surface of the front panel. The front wall 170 has an inclined 
rear surface which thickens towards its bases. A cut-out 170b is formed at 
the lateral center of the rear surface 170a of the front wall 170. 
The holder frame 169 has side walls 171. The side walls 171 both have 
cut-outs 171a in their front ends. The holder frame 169 also has a bottom 
plate 172. The bottom plate 172 extends horizontally from the lower edge 
of the front wall 170. The rear edge of the bottom plate 172 lies near the 
longitudinal center of the cut-out recess 171a. The bottom plate 172 has a 
laterally centered cut-our groove 172a. The cut-out 172a is laterally 
positioned opposite the cut-out 170b of the front wall 170 and its front 
end adjoins the lower end of the latter. 
The holder frame 169 also has a ceiling plate 173 extending laterally over 
the rear ends of the side walls 171. The side walls 171 have lateral 
recesses 174 near their rear ends and immediately in front of the 
junctures between the ceiling plate 173 and the side walls 171. These 
recesses 174 are generally rectangular and receive the cassette holding 
means 165 of the cassette holder 83. The ceiling plate 173 has a cut-out 
175 in its rear edge. The cut-out 175 is centered laterally on the ceiling 
plate and is generally trapezoidal with its wider side along the rear 
edge. 
The bottom plate 172 of the holder frame 169 generally opposes the front 
plate 69 of the sliding frame 65 but is slightly higher than the latter. 
The ceiling plate 173 is longitudinally positioned such that its lateral 
edges overlap the front part of the supporting strip 73 of the sliding 
frame 65. The holder frame 169 is fixed to the sliding frame 65 by means 
of fastening screws 176 which engage the threaded holes 72 and 74. 
The side walls 171 of the holder frame 170 cover the side walls 85, 86 of 
the cassette holder 83, the side walls 66, 67 of the sliding frame 65 and 
the associated lever mechanism described above. Therefore, they cannot be 
seen from outside even when the sliding frame 65 is in the drawn-out 
position and thus the cassette holder 83 is in the eject position. 
It should be appreciated when the cassette holder 83 is in the upward 
shifted position, its bottom wall 84 lies flush with the bottom plate 172 
of the holder frame 170. In this case, the front edge of the bottom wall 
84 of the cassette holder 83 lies longitudinally immediately behind the 
rear edge of the bottom plate 172 of the holder frame 170. 
When the cassette holder 83 is in the upward shifted position, it 
constitutes a cassette receptacle 177 which receives the magnetic tape 
cassette 1. The bottom wall 84 of the cassette holder 83 cooperates with 
the bottom plate 172 and the side walls 171 of the holder frame 170 to 
define the cassette receptacle 177. 
As can easily be appreciated, when the sliding frame 65 is in the drawn-out 
position, the cassette receptacle 177 protrudes from the front surface of 
the front panel 33a of the housing. In this cassette receptacle position, 
the magnetic tape 1 can be inserted and removed. The cut-outs 171a in the 
side walls 171 of the holder frame 170 allow the user to conveniently 
grasp the magnetic tape cassette. 
The magnetic tape cassette 1 can be inserted in the cassette receptacle 177 
by the following steps: 
first, the magnetic tape cassette 1 is held at an angle so that its front 
edge is lower than the rear edge; 
at this inclined position, the front end is inserted into the clearance 
between the ceiling plate 173 and the bottom plate 84 of the cassette 
holder 83; and 
thereafter, the rear edge is pushed downward to complete insertion of the 
magnetic tape cassette into the cassette receptacle. 
The position of the cassette in the cassette receptacle resulting from the 
above series of steps will hereafter be referred to as the "provisionally 
set position". 
When the magnetic tape cassette 1 is in the provisionally set position, the 
pivotal closure lid 9 and the sliding closure member 11 are still held in 
their respective closed positions. In this position, the contact pieces 90 
of the cassette holder 83 contact the corresponding contact pieces 15 of 
the sliding closure member 11 through the cut-outs 24 of the pivotal 
closure lid 9. Also, when the magnetic tape cassette 1 is in the 
provisionally set position, the apertures 20 of the sliding closure member 
11 are in alignment with the corresponding through openings 87. 
Furthermore, in this position, the cassette holding means 164 elastically 
depresses the front edge of the magnetic tape cassette 1 downward by way 
of the pushing members 166. 
CASSETTE SETTING MECHANISM 
(FIGS. 7, 8, 12 to 14) 
A cassette setting mechanism serves to shift the magnetic tape cassette 1 
from the provisionally set position to a position wherein the pivotal 
closure lid 9 and the sliding closure member 11 are both open and the 
apertures 21 of the cassette casing 2 are in alignment with the apertures 
20 and the through openings 87. The cassette setting mechanism generally 
comprises pusher levers 178 and 179. 
The pusher lever 178 is flat, laterally elongated and bent in the middle. 
The pusher lever 178 has an opening 180 at the bend. The pin 71 projecting 
upward from the front panel 69 of the sliding frame 65 passes through the 
opening 180 and pivotably supports the latter. A pushing pin 181 projects 
upward from one end of the pusher lever 178. An actuation pin 182 extends 
downward from the other end of the pusher lever 178. The pusher lever 178 
also has a rearward strip 183. The strip 183 has a hole which anchors one 
end of a bias spring 185. The other end of the bias spring 185 engages a 
pin 184 extending downward from the lower surface of the front panel 69 of 
the sliding frame 65. 
It should be appreciated that the pusher lever 178 is disposed within a 
clearance between the front panel 69 of the sliding frame 65 and the lower 
end of the front wall 170 of the holder frame 169. The pushing pin 181 
protrudes through the groove 172a in the bottom plate of the holder frame 
169 and reaches into the recess 171b in the front wall 171 when pivoted 
frontward. The actuation pin 182 opposes the vertical section 42b of the 
contact strip 42 of the mechanical chassis. 
In the normal position, the pusher lever 178 is biased by means of the bias 
spring 185 so that the pushing pin 180 lies within the recess 170b of the 
front wall 170 of the holder frame 169, as shown in FIG. 7. The actuation 
pin 182 comes into contact with the vertical section 42b of the contact 
strip 42 of the mechanical chassis 44 while the sliding frame 65 is driven 
from the drawn-out position to the drawn-in position. This causes the 
pusher lever 178 to pivot clockwise about the pin 71 as viewed in FIG. 7 
against the spring force of the bias spring 185. Therefore, the pushing 
pin 180 is shifted rearward along the groove 172a of the bottom plate 172 
of the holder frame 169. During this rearward shift, the pushing pin 180 
pushes the magnetic tape cassette 1 rearward. 
During this rearward movement of the magnetic tape cassette 1, the front 
end 91a enters the groove 22, comes into contact with the locking head 29 
and so pushes the latter upward, as shown in FIG. 17(A). Therefore, the 
sliding closure member 11 is released and thus is free to move rearward in 
response to the force exerted through the contact pieces 15 and 90. The 
sliding closure member 11 is thus shifted from the closed position to the 
open position. As a result, the pivotal closure member 9 becomes free to 
pivot. Therefore, the pivotal closure lid 9 can move from the closed 
position to the open position. 
When the magnetic tape cassette 1 within the holder frame 169 reaches the 
rearward limit of travel, the rear end of the cassette casing 2 lies 
slightly rearward of the front edge of the cross-member 75 of the sliding 
frame 65. At this position, the pushing members 166 of the cassette 
holding means 164 contact the upper surface of the upper section 3 of the 
cassette casing 1 at points rearward of the front edge of the cassette. 
Specifically, the pushing members 166 exert a downward force on the center 
of the magnetic tape cassette 1. This holds the magnetic tape cassette 1 
securely in the set position. 
The pusher lever 179 is generally flat and laterally elongated. The pusher 
lever 179 has a through opening 187 at its center. Also, the pusher lever 
179 has a longitudinal strip 188 which extends rearward from the rear edge 
of the lateral section. A pusher pin 189 extends downward from the lower 
surface of the inner end of the pusher lever 179. The pusher lever 179 is 
pivotally supported by means of a pivot pin 190 which extends from the 
cross-member 75 of the sliding frame 65. The pusher lever 179 is biased 
counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 7 by a bias spring 192 which is 
anchored between the strip 188 and a lateral strip 191 extending inward 
from the guide block 77. 
As will be appreciated from FIG. 7, the pivot pin 190 is laterally offset 
from the longitudinal center so that its inner end carrying the pusher pin 
189 lies near the center. The outer end of the pusher lever 179 opposes 
the rear face of the vertical section 49a of the bracket 49. While the 
sliding frame 65 is in the drawn-in position, the outer end of the pusher 
lever 179 supported by the cross-member 75 is in the rearward shifted 
position. Therefore, the pusher lever 179 is separated from the rear face 
of the vertical section 49a of the bracket 49, as shown in FIG. 8. At the 
same time, the counterclockwise biasing force exerted by the bias spring 
192 holds the pusher lever 179 angularly offset counterclockwise. At this 
position, the pusher pin 189 engages the cut-out 76 in the central section 
of the front edge of the cross-member 75. As a result, the pusher lever 
179 extends essentially laterally. This lever position of the pusher lever 
179 will hereafter be referred to as a "stand-by" position. 
It should be appreciated that, at the stand-by position of the pusher lever 
179, the pusher pin 189 lies in front of the front end of the magnetic 
tape cassette 1. 
When the sliding frame 65 moves from the drawn-in position to the drawn-out 
position, the pusher lever 179 is carried with the cross-member 75. During 
this frontward movement of the sliding frame 65, the pusher lever 179 is 
held in at the stand-by position until its outer end comes into contact 
with the rear face of the vertical section 49a of the bracket 49. Further 
frontward movement of the sliding frame 65 with the cross-member 75 while 
holding the outer end of the pusher lever 179 in contact with the vertical 
section 49a drives the pusher lever 179 clockwise against the bias spring 
force of the spring 192. This causes the pusher pin 189 to contact the 
front end of the magnetic tape cassette 1. As a result, the magnetic tape 
cassette 1 is pushed backwards to the provisionally set position. This 
backward movement of the magnetic tape cassette within the holder frame 
169 due to the force exerted through the pusher lever 179 terminates when 
the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn-out position. 
During the aforementioned movement from the set position to the 
provisionally set position, the pivotal closure lid 9 and sliding closure 
member 11 are returned to their respective closed positions from their 
open positions. 
OPENING AND CLOSING THE SLIDING CLOSURE MEMBER 
(FIGS. 1 to 5, 17(A) to 17(D)) 
As set forth above, during cassette loading and ejection, the sliding 
closure member 11 of the magnetic tape cassette 1 is automatically moved 
between the closed and open positions. Specifically, during the cassette 
loading process, the sliding closure member 11 is moved from the closed 
position to the open position in order to enable tape loading, recording, 
reproduction and so forth; and during cassette ejection, the sliding 
closure member 11 is returned to the closed position. This movement 
includes locking and unlocking the sliding closure member 11. The sliding 
closure member 11 is locked at both the closed position and the open 
position. 
The sliding closure member is opened during movement of the magnetic tape 
cassette 1 from the provisionally set position to the set position within 
the holder frame 169 by the effect of the pusher lever 178. On the other 
hand, the sliding closure member is closed during movement of the magnetic 
tape cassette 1 from the set position to the provisionally set position 
within the holder frame 169 by the effect of the pusher lever 179. The 
sliding closure opening and closing operations will be described 
herebelow, generally with reference to FIGS. 17(A) to 17(D). 
In the cassette loading operation, first the magnetic tape cassette 1 is 
placed on the cassette receptacle 177 defined within the holder frame 169, 
as set forth above. Then, the magnetic tape cassette 1 is moved to the 
provisionally set position. At this position, the cut-out 23 of the 
pivotal closure lid 9 is positioned in front of the longitudinal 
projection 91 of the bottom plate 84 of the cassette holder 83, which 
constitutes the bottom of the cassette receptacle 177. At the same time, 
the locking head 29 of the locking lever 27 maintains locking engagement 
with the circular hole 26 of the sliding closure member 11 and thus holds 
the sliding closure member locked in the closed position. 
Under these conditions, the sliding frame 65 is driven backwardly from the 
drawn-out position to the drawn-in position, carrying with it the cassette 
holder 83 and the holder frame 169. This backward movement of the sliding 
frame 65 actuates the pusher lever 178 which pushes the magnetic tape 
cassette 1 from the provisionally set position to the set position. 
Initial movement of the magnetic tape cassette 1 through a certain distance 
causes the projection 91 of the bottom plate 84 of the cassette holder 83 
to protrude into the groove 22 of the sliding closure member 11 through 
the cut-out 23 of the pivotal closure lid 9. The tapered front end 91a of 
the projection 91 then opposes the locking head 29 of the locking lever 27 
projecting into the groove 22 through the circular hole 26 of the sliding 
closure member 11. Further movement of the magnetic tape cassette toward 
the set position brings the tapered front end 91a of the projection 91 
into contact with the lower end of the locking head 29. Therefore, the 
locking head 29 is pushed upwardly until its lower end lies flush with the 
lower surface of the sliding closure member. At the same time, the claws 
90 of the strips 89 come into contact with the contact pieces 15 through 
the cut-outs 24 of the pivotal closure member 9. The claws 90 exert a 
rearward force on the sliding closure member 11 through the contact pieces 
15 according to the movement of the magnetic tape cassette. Since the 
walls of the circular hole 26 are tapered as shown in FIG. 17(A), the 
locking head 29 of the locking lever 27 raised also until its lower end 
rests on the upper surface of the sliding closure member, as shown in FIG. 
17(B). Thus, the sliding closure member 11 is released from the closed 
position by the movement of the magnetic tape cassette from the 
provisionally set position to the set position. 
In this released state, the sliding closure member 11 is moved to the open 
position by the rearward force exerted on the contact pieces 15 thereof 
through the claws 90. 
At the open position, the locking head 29 engages the cut-out 25 of the 
sliding closure member 11. This locks the sliding closure member 11 in the 
open position. 
At this position, the apertures 20 are aligned with the apertures 21 of the 
lower section 4 of the cassette casing 2 which are, in turn, aligned with 
the through openings 87 of the cassette holder. 
At the same time, this movement of the sliding closure member 11 to the 
open position releases the restriction on pivotal movement of the pivotal 
closure lid 9. Therefore, the pivotal closure lid 9 may pivot from the 
closed position to the open position. Actuation of the pivotal closure lid 
9 from the closed position to the open position is performed in a per se 
well-known manner during movement of the magnetic tape cassette from the 
provisionally set position to the set position. 
In the cassette ejection operation, the pusher lever 179 is actuated 
according to frontward movement of the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-in 
position to the drawn-out position. This causes movement of the magnetic 
tape cassette 1 from the set position to the provisionally set position, 
as set forth above. At the initial stage of magnetic tape cassette 
movement toward the provisionally set position, the tapered rear end 91b 
of the projection 91 comes into contact with the lower end of the locking 
head 29 of the locking lever 27. Further movement of the magnetic tape 
cassette 1 toward the provisionally set position raises the locking head 
29 into alignment with the lower surface of the sliding closure member 11. 
Since the sliding closure member 11 is biased frontwardly toward the 
closed position by means of the torsion spring 18, and since the walls of 
the cut-out 25 are tapered as shown in FIG. 17(C), the locking head 29 is 
raised also until the sliding closure member 11 is free to move from the 
open position to the closed position. At the same time, the claws 90 moved 
frontward with the cassette holder 83. Therefore, the sliding closure 
member 11 becomes free of the claws 90. Thus, the sliding closure member 
11 moves from the open position to the closed position due to the biasing 
force exerted by the torsion spring 18. At the closed position of the 
sliding closure member 11, the locking head 29 again engages the circular 
hole 26 of the sliding closure member to prevent the sliding closure 
member from accidentally moving to the open position. 
During the aforementioned movement of the sliding closure movement from the 
set position to the provisionally set position, the pivotal closure lid 9 
is actuated from the open position to the closed position by a per se 
well-known mechanism. When the sliding closure member 11 is in the closed 
position, the upper edges of the sliding closure member 11 abut the side 
arms of the pivotal closure lid and so prevent the pivotal closure lid 
from pivoting. Therefore, the pivotal closure lid 9 is also locked in the 
closed position. 
CASSETTE LOADING AND EJECTION OPERATIONS 
An eject button (not shown) mounted on the front panel 33a of the housing 
33 is depressed to eject the magnetic tape cassette from the 
above-described preferred embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus according to the invention, or to prepare the cassette 
receptacle for loading. In response to depression of the eject button, the 
driving motor 128 starts driving in a reverse direction. As set forth 
above, when the driving motor 128 runs in reverse, first, it raises the 
cassette holder from the downward shifted position to the upward shifted 
position. After the cassette holder 83 is locked in the upward shifted 
position, the sliding frame 65 is driven frontward along with the cassette 
holder 83 and the holder frame 169. Thus, the sliding frame 65 is shifted 
to the drawn-out position. At this time, driving force is transmitted to 
the sliding frame driving wire 81 through the planetary gear train 132. In 
the drawn-out position of the sliding frame 65, the cassette receptacle 
177 defined by the holder frame 169 and the cassette holder 83 is exposed 
to the outside of the housing 33 for receiving the magnetic tape cassette 
1. 
At this position, the magnetic tape cassette 1 is placed into the cassette 
receptacle 177. In order to initiate cassette loading, the presence of the 
magnetic tape cassette 1 may be detected by means of an appropriate sensor 
(not shown). Alternatively, the recording and/or reproducing apparatus may 
have a "load button" (not shown) on the housing 33 to initiate loading. 
When the driving motor 128 runs forward, the sliding frame 65 is driven 
rearward by the driving mechanism described above to the drawn-in 
position. During this rearward movement of the sliding frame 65, the 
pusher lever 178 is actuated to push the magnetic tape cassette 1 into the 
cassette receptacle 177 to the set position. The sliding closure member 11 
and the pivotal closure lid 9 are then actuated from the closed position 
to the open position. When the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn-in 
position, power transmission for the driving motor 128 is switched so as 
to drive the cassette holder 83. Therefore, the cassette holder 83 
carrying the magnetic tape cassette 1 is driven downward to the downward 
shifted position to complete the cassette loading operation. 
After completing the cassette loading operation, tape loading operation is 
initiated. The mechanisms and operation of tape loading system are 
commonly known for rotary-head-type recorders. One example of such a tape 
loading system has been disclosed in the co-pending U.S. patent 
application Ser. No. 739,287, filed on May 30, 1985, by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa 
et al and assigned to assignee of the present invention. The corresponding 
tape loading system has been disclosed in the European Patent First 
Publication No. 0163527, published on Dec. 4, 1985. 
For unloading the magnetic tape 1, the aforementioned eject button is 
depressed to start the driving motor 128 running in reverse. As described 
above, the cassette holder 83 is then driven to the upwardly shifted 
position and the sliding frame 65 is driven to the drawn-out position. At 
the same time, the pusher lever 179 is actuated to push the magnetic tape 
cassette 1 from the set position to the provisionally set position. 
Therefore, at the drawn-out position of the sliding frame 65, the magnetic 
tape cassette 1 can be removed from the receptacle 177. 
ANOTHER EMBODIMENT 
(FIG. 18) 
FIG. 18 shows another embodiment of the recording and/or reproducing 
apparatus for a magnetic tape cassette according to the present invention. 
The shown alternative embodiment differs from the preferred embodiment of 
the recording and/or reproducing apparatus with regard to the driving 
mechanism for driving the sliding frame between the drawn-out position and 
the drawn-in position, and driving the cassette holder between the upward 
shifted position and downward shifted position. The driving mechanism 
according to this embodiment will be generally represented by the 
reference numeral 43A. 
The driving mechanism 43A employs mutually independently operable motors 
193 and 198. The motor 193 is intended to drive the sliding frame 65 
between the drawn-out position and the drawn-in position. A drive pulley 
194 is fixedly mounted on the output shaft 193a of the motor 193. The 
drive pulley is connected to a driven pulley section 195a of a power train 
gear 195 via an endless belt 196. The power train gear 195 engages a 
reduction gear 197. The reduction gear 197 has an integral 
smaller-diameter gear 197a. The smaller-diameter gear 197a engages the 
reduction gear 144 which is identical to that of the former embodiment. 
Specifically, the reduction gear 144 has a cylindrical sleeve extending 
downward and a gear section at the lower end of the sleeve. The gear 
section engages the intermediate gear represented by the reference numeral 
145 in the previous embodiment. The reduction gear 144 is connected to the 
driving gear 55 associated with the wire drive pulley 56 via the 
intermediate gear. 
It should be appreciated that, as in the previous embodiment, the motor 193 
is driven in reverse to drive the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-in 
position to the drawn-out position. On the other hand, the motor 193 is 
driven forward when driving the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-out 
position to the drawn-in position. 
The motor 198 is intended to drive the cassette holder 83 between the 
upward shifted position and the downward shifted position by driving the 
rack plate 121 longitudinally between the frontward shifted position and 
the rearward shifted position. 
The motor 198 has an output shaft 198a. A drive pulley 199 is fixed to the 
output shaft 198a. The drive pulley 199 cooperates with a pulley section 
200a of a power train gear 200 through an endless belt 201. The power 
train gear 200 is directly connected to the first reduction gear 146. As 
explained with respect to the previous embodiment, the reductions gears 
146, 147 and 148 constitute a reduction gear train which transmits the 
force of the driving motor 198 to the rack plate 121 to drive the latter 
longitudinally. 
As in the previous embodiment, the motor 198 is driven in reverse to drive 
the rack plate 121 to the rearward shifted position and, thus to drive the 
cassette holder 83 from the downward shifted position to the upward 
shifted position. On the other hand, the motor 198 is driven forward to 
drive the rack plate 121 from the rearward shifted position to the 
frontward shifted position and, thus to drive the cassette holder 83 from 
the upward shifted position to the downward shifted position. 
In order to control drive timing of the motors 198 and 198, sensors detect 
when the sliding frame 65 is in the drawn-out and drawn-in positions and 
when the cassette holder 83 is in the upward shifted and downward shifted 
positions. When loading a cassette, first the motor 193 drives the sliding 
frame 65 from the drawn-out position to the drawn-in position. A sensor 
detects when the sliding frame 65 reaches the drawn-in position, whereupon 
the motor 193 stops running and the motor 198 starts to run. The motor 198 
then drives the rack plate 121 frontward to the frontward shifted position 
so that the cassette holder 83 is shifted downward to the downward shifted 
position. When the cassette holder 83 reaches the downward shifted 
position, a sensor detects the presence of the cassette holder 83 and 
turns off the motor 198. Thus, the cassette loading process has been 
completed. 
When ejecting a cassette, first the motor 198 drives the cassette holder 83 
from the downward shifted position to the upward shifted position. A 
sensor detects when the cassette holder 83 reaches the upward shifted 
position. Then, the motor 198 stops running. Once the cassette holder 83 
reaches the upward shifted position, the motor 193 starts driving forward 
to drive the sliding frame 65 from the drawn-in position to the drawn-out 
position. At the drawn-out position of the sliding frame 65, the motor 193 
stops running in response to detection of the presence of the sliding 
frame by a sensor. 
As will be clear from the detailed description given hereabove, the 
recording and/or reproducing apparatus according to the present invention 
facilitates automatic cassette loading and ejection to the extent that it 
is necessary only to put the magnetic tape cassette onto or into a 
cassette receptacle. The cassette loading and ejection operations includes 
automatic actuation of the sliding closure member and the pivotal closure 
lid of the magnetic tape between the closed position and the open position 
during cassette loading and ejection. 
In addition, according to the present invention, since the recording and/or 
reproducing apparatus loads a cassette while preventing the cassette 
holder from simultaneously moving both horizontally and vertically, faulty 
operation of sensors or other components of the cassette loading mechanism 
will never result in serious damage to the overall mechanism. 
While the present invention has been disclosed in detail in terms of the 
specific embodiments, the invention can be implemented in various ways. 
Various embodiments and modifications of the shown embodiments can be used 
to implement the present invention. Therefore, the present invention 
should be appreciated to include all possible embodiments and 
modifications which can be embodied without department from the principles 
of the invention which will be described in the appended claims.