Tape winding apparatus

A tape loader has a splicing station including a splicing block whose underside is grooved and provided with perforations constituting vacuum shoes. A slitting head mounts a blade which cooperates with the grooved under surface in slitting tape across its lateral dimension while it is received in its groove retained by vacuum. A splicing arm operates through an orifice in a face plate to splice together two lengths of tape retained in the groove. Operating on the front face of the face plate is a final guide assembly comprising an eccentric plate having a leader tape extraction arm; a bearing block housing a journal into which a cylindrical boss, integral with the plate, is rotatably received; and an internal flange of the boss forming a tooth wheel operably with a belt to apply the output of a motor to drive the plate. The changeover arm is comprised of a cranked changeover arm member mounted to a sleeve secured to a shaft passing through an orifice in the face plate. A clasp comprises a barrel received in a sleeve having a cylindrical type contact surface being provided by the barrel between annular enlargements. The tape issues in operation from a vacuum trough and is manually grasped by its end, disposed on the curved surface of the clasp and urged downwardly whereby through compression of the coil springs a quadrant surface is depressed radially inwardly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for loading or winding of 
tape into cassettes. The invention is in particular (but not exclusively) 
concerned with the loading of magnetic tape into video cassettes. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Magnetic tape cassettes (eg audio and video tape cassettes) are supplied 
commercially either as blank tape or as prerecorded tape. In both cases, 
the cassette comprises two rotatable hubs, two lengths of leader tape one 
secured to each hub and a predetermined length of magnetic use tape having 
its ends spliced to the two leaders. 
In manufacture of a cassette tape, magnetic tape is loaded to a leadered 
cassette, ie a cassette containing a relatively short length of leader 
secured by one end to one hub and by the other end to the other hub. Such 
a leadered cassette for audio use is known as a "C-zero cassette" whilst 
such a cassette constructed for video use is known as a "V-zero cassette". 
The first step in loading is to cut the leader into two separate leader 
lengths. The magnetic tape to be loaded is then spliced to one length of 
leader and the hub to which that leader length is connected is rotated to 
wind a predetermined length of magnetic tape onto the same hub. The 
magnetic tape is then cut and its trailing end spliced to the leading end 
of the remaining leader length so that the two hubs are connected by a 
leader-magnetic-leader continuous tape sequence. 
The above sequence of operations can be carried out as hand work, but in 
modern practice the operation is mechanised to provide manufacturing speed 
and uniform product quality. A typical apparatus for performing these 
operations is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,153. The apparatus 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,153 comprises means for holding a supply 
reel of magnetic tape, means for supporting a tape cassette (eg by its 
hubs), a splicing assembly comprising a stationary splicing head and first 
and second moveable splicing heads which are alternately moveable into 
contiguous relation with the stationary splicing head, means for 
releasably holding tape ends on the stationary and moveable splicing 
heads, means for slitting tape supported by the splicing assembly, means 
for rotating the supply reel and one of the cassette hubs to cause 
magnetic tape spliced to a leader on the hub to be unwound from the supply 
reel and wound on the hub in question, and means for applying splicing 
tape to the abutting ends of leader and magnetic tapes supported by the 
splicing assembly. In operation, cassette loading commences with the 
leader ends (ie a cut hub-hub leader length) held on the contiguously 
disposed stationary head and first splicing head, respectively, and the 
end of the magnetic tape held on the second splicing head. The first 
moveable splicing head is then moved away from the stationary splicing 
head and the second moveable head with its held end of the magnetic tape 
is moved into contiguous relation with the stationary head. This brings 
the leader held on the stationary head into end-to-end abutment with the 
magnetic tape and the two are then spliced together. The spliced tape is 
then wound onto the cassette hub to which the leader is secured and 
winding continued until a predetermined length of magnetic tape is then 
slit. The second moveable splicing head, which continues to hold the 
leading edge of the magnetic tape supply, is then removed away from the 
stationary head leaving a trailing end of magnetic tape from the newly 
loaded cassette held by the stationary head. Moving the first moveable 
splicing head back into contiguous relation with respect to the stationary 
head juxtapose the leading end of the remaining cut leader length in 
abutment to the trailing end of magnetic tape held on the stationary head. 
These two ends are then spliced to complete the production of a loaded 
cassette. The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,153 includes 
control means for selectively operating the components of the apparatus to 
perform the above-described operations in the sequence given. 
In tape winding operations, the magnetic tape is pulled into the cassette 
by a motor driving the hub inside the cassette. This means that the tape 
is under greatest tension just before it enters the cassette. The tension 
in the tape reduces at every point of mechanical contact with the guides, 
cleaning fabric and so on on the tape winding path. Design considerations 
mean the last guide before the tape enters the cassette is often used as 
both a rotating guide around which the tape runs at maximum tension during 
winding and the extracting device used to pull the leader from the 
cassettes. In order to do this, it must be of sufficiently small diameter 
to pass through the appropriate aperture in the cassette to take up a 
position under the leader tape. However, since tape winding takes place at 
speeds up to 20 m/sec, the rotational speed of the rotational guide has to 
be very high and this can lead to tape damage when using small diameter 
final guides, particularly under tension. 
Tape winding speed is monitored by a tacho device in contact with the tape. 
The thinness of the tape being wound and the requirement that is must not 
be stretched or damaged is responsible for practice dictactin that winding 
takes place at low tensions. This is exacerbated by the traditional 
practice dictated by design considerations of locating the tacho wheel 
upstream of the splicing surface and receiving tape issuing from the 
supply pancake. Coupled with the high speed of winding, it is difficult to 
keep the tape in contact with a conventional tacho wheel. 
Equipment made by Tapematic and Jing-Wa overcome the problems associated 
with small diameter final guides by constructing the final guide leader 
extraction arm as an air bearing in which a plurality of air apertures are 
used to eject air between the guide surface and the tape as lubrication. 
Otami equipment combines a retractable large diameter final guide with a 
leader extraction arm. The extractor extracts leader tape from a lid-down 
oriented cassette and introduces the leader tape to a splicing surface. A 
retracted large diameter guide advances into the tape loop and is then 
displaced laterally within the loop until it contacts the tape adjacent to 
the input mouth of the cassette. The leader having been extracted, 
splicing and winding then follow whilst both the guide and extractor 
remain in contact with the tape. 
Print tapes for use in impact printers, such as used in an office context 
driven by computers, is conveniently made in cassette or cartridge form. 
In general terms, such tape is subject to the same handling requirements 
as magnetic tape and broadly similar winding machinery can be deployed for 
loading such tape into cassettes. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a tape 
winding apparatus comprising a use tape supply station, a tape splicing 
station disposed so as in use to receive on a tape splicing surface 
thereof use tape wound from the use tape supply station in use, a cassette 
holding station disposed so as in use to receive on a hub of a cassette 
disposed at said cassette holding station tape wound from said tape 
splicing station, tape winding power means for driving said cassette hub 
to effect said winding of said tape, a plurality of tape guides defining 
with said splicing station a tape winding path from said tape supply 
station to said cassette hub, said plurality of tape guides including a 
final guide assembly for issuing tape to said cassette hub in winding of 
use tape from the use tape supply by the apparatus, said final guide 
assembly comprising leader extraction means comprising a leader extraction 
member and a final guide member, the leader extraction member having a 
rest position in which said member is disposed to penetrate beneath the 
non-extracted leader tape of the leader tape loop of a zero cassette 
charged to said cassette holding station and being mounted and arranged 
for two phases of reciprocatory displacement in the plane of said loop so 
that said leader extraction member can be removed from the locus of said 
cassette in a first phase of reciprocation to carry the leader tape loop 
externally from the cassette to said splicing surface of said splicing 
station and to the locus of said final guide member for release of said 
extracted tape loop and transfer thereof to said final guide member by 
said leader extraction member in a second phase of said reciprocatory 
displacement of said leader extraction member, said final guide member 
being displaceable laterally relative to the tape reciprocally between a 
position in and a position outside the plane of said loop at a final tape 
guiding location of the tape winding path at which said final guide member 
is otherwise fixed for rotation immediately upstream of and adjacent to 
the cassette input mouth, and said final guide member comprising a 
circularly cylindrical tape guide contact element which is mounted for 
rotation responsive to contact of its cylindrical surface in use by mobile 
tape winding to said driven cassette hub and guided by said tape guide 
contact element and which has a diameter sized too large to be 
accommodated beneath the aforesaid non-extracted leader tape of said 
cassette, tape cutting means disposed at said splicing station and 
addressing a cutting location at which tape is disposed on the splicing 
surface in use and tape splicing means for splicing tape ends together 
upon said splicing surface. 
Preferably, the tape supply station comprises means for mounting a 
plurality of separate stores of tape. In particular, means may be provided 
to mount a pair of separate magnetic tape stores for sequential use and 
changeover means is provided to introduce to the tape winding path a tape 
supply from a second magnetic tape store once the tape supply from a first 
is exhausted or depleted to a predetermined extent. 
The tape supply station is conveniently configured to provide a pair of 
tape stores in use and said changeover means is changeover means for 
addressing said use tape stores successively so as to introduce 
successively to said tape winding path, use tape from each of said use 
tape stores by disposition thereof upon said splicing surface by a 
transfer member of said changeover means displaceable between said supply 
station and said splicing station, said changeover means in use addressing 
one such use tape store preparative to introducing the use tape thereof to 
said winding path during the time the use tape of the other use tape store 
issues to the tape winding path to supply the splicing station and the 
cassette hub. 
The changeover means may comprise a displaceable elongate member provided 
with a tape securing head. 
The changeover means conveniently includes a tape securing head which 
comprises a mechanical clasp or (less preferably) a vacuum shoe. 
The mechanical clasp referred to preferably comprises a tape carriage 
surface yieldingly supported by a compressible support means which yields 
resiliently under pressure from a tape length manually urged upon said 
tape carriage surface and jaw means overlying and normally in contact with 
said tape carriage surface and spaced therefrom when the tape carriage 
surface has yielded to form a mouth defined between said jaw means and 
said tape carriage surface, the jaw means comprising at least one member 
having a first mouth-defining face confronting the tape carriage surface 
but leaving part thereof exposed so as to provide an access to said tape 
carriage surface for said tape, said access accommodating the tape width 
only after its concurvature on a longitudinal tape axis, and a second face 
directed away from the tape carriage surface and configured to deform said 
tape to provide said concurvature with said manual urging of the tape 
length on said tape carriage surface. 
The displaceable elongate member is preferably a cranked arm mounted for 
rotation through an arc between a first position in which said tape 
securing head and said arm are outside the tape winding path for manual 
provision to said head of a leading end of use tape emanating from a first 
of use tape stores and a second position in which said head is adjacent 
said splicing station and use tape carried by said head is disposed on 
said splicing surface for release thereto by said head. 
Conveniently, the changeover means comprises a member displaceable by 
rotation between a tape pick-up location outside the tape winding path and 
a tape-release position in which said member addresses the tape splicing 
surface, the member being displaceable perpendicularly with respect to the 
plane of the aforesaid displacement between a lockable position in which 
the member can be locked in said tape pick-up position and the aforesaid 
rotational displacement is prevented and a position in which the member is 
free to suffer said displacement by rotation to said tape-release 
position. 
The extraction means may be disposed for rotation displacement whereby the 
leader tape loop is carried to the splicing surface in said first phase of 
reciprocation and transferred to said final guide member in said second 
phase of reciprocation. The extraction member is preferably disposed for 
said rotational displacement about said final guide member. The leader 
extraction means is advantageously disposed for said rotational 
displacement about the axis of rotation of said final guide member. 
The leader extraction means may comprise an eccentric mounted for said 
rotational displacement and provided with a tape extraction element 
forming said leader extraction member and originating therefrom proximate 
the extremity thereof radially most remote from the axis of rotation of 
said eccentric and serving as said leader extraction member. 
The leader extraction means is preferably rotationally displaceable between 
stops which define the radial positions of the leader extraction member at 
which first the non-extracted leader tape is almost in contact by its 
underside with the leader extraction member and at which secondly the 
extracted leader tape loop carried by said leader extraction member 
defines a loop plane which is interfacially juxtaposed to the final guide 
member such that the extrapolated axis of rotation of said final guide 
member and an imaginary cylinder having the same axis and the diameter of 
said final guide member intersects with said loop plane. 
The leader extraction means is conveniently disposed to be driven in use in 
its rotational displacement by a stepper motor. 
The final guide member is conveniently reciprocatively displaceable 
linearly upon the axis of its rotation. 
In preferred embodiments the apparatus includes a tachometric tape 
transport speed monitor including a tacho wheel and interfaced for the 
speed control purposes of the apparatus with said power means, and the 
plurality of tape guides defining with said splicing station and said 
tacho wheel said tape winding path from said tape supply station to said 
cassette hub, said tacho wheel being disposed in the tape winding path 
downstream of said splicing station. 
The final guide member preferably forms a tacho wheel of a tachometric tape 
transport speed monitor interfaced for the speed control purposes of the 
apparatus with said power means. 
The splicing surface is conveniently constructed as a vacuum shoe for tape 
retention purposes. 
The splicing surface may be the floor of a groove depressed into the 
surface of a fixed splicing block and extending in the direction of the 
tape winding path. 
The splicing surface is conveniently defined upon a splicing block formed 
with a cutter groove traversing the part of the tape winding path 
coincident with the splicing surface. 
A leader tape retaining member is preferably provided to retain the portion 
of said leader tape issuing from said cassette and disposed upstream of 
said cutting location on said splicing surface. 
The leader tape retaining member is preferably displaceable between a first 
position in which it is in use disposed beneath the non-extracted leader 
tape loop of the leader tape of the zero cassette and a second position in 
which it has been removed from the locus of the cassette to assist in 
carrying the leader tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing 
surface of said splicing station. 
The leader tape retaining member is advantageously disposed for 
displacement from the locus of the splicing surface to carry its charge of 
upstream leader tape from said tape path after operation of said tape 
cutting means to sever the leader tape into separate upstream and 
downstream leader tape portions and for reciprocal displacement to restore 
said upstream leader tape portion to said tape path at said splicing 
surface at termination of use tape winding into said cassette, preparative 
to splicing of the leading end of said upstream leader tape portion to the 
use tape trailing end disposed upon said splicing surface after operation 
of said tape cutting means in relation to use tape stationary on the 
splicing surface at said winding termination. 
Preferably, the leader tape retaining member has a surface constructed as a 
vacuum shoe. 
In preferred apparatus, the leader tape retaining member is a cranked 
elongate member. 
The leader tape retaining means may be coupled to power means for driving 
said retaining means in linear reciprocatory displacement. 
In a second aspect, the invention provides a method of loading tape into 
cassettes which method comprises disposing a leading end of use tape 
emanating from a use tape supply at a use tape supply station of a tape 
winding apparatus upon a splicing surface of the apparatus, whilst 
retaining the use tape on said splicing surface optionally cutting the 
tape across its lateral dimension to form separate upstream and downstream 
portions of use tape, charging a zero cassette to said apparatus 
subsequent to said cutting or at a previous juncture, extracting a loop of 
leader tape from said cassette and disposing said leader tape of said loop 
on the splicing surface, whilst retaining the leader tape on the splicing 
surface either cutting the leader tape across its lateral dimension in 
overlying relationship with the upstream portion of use tape and with the 
leader tape cut corresponding to the position of the cut end of the 
upstream portion of use tape whereby separate upstream and downstream 
portions of said leader tape are formed, or cutting the use tape and 
overlying leader tape together whereby both are cut into separate upstream 
and downstream portions, disposing the upstream leader tape portion on a 
leader tape retainer and removing said upstream leader tape portion from 
the splicing surface by displacement of said leader tape retainer, 
splicing the so exposed upstream portion of use tape on the splicing 
surface to the downstream portion of leader tape on the splicing surface, 
and winding use tape into the cassette, the downstream portion of said use 
tape being removed from the splicing surface, and at a post-winding 
juncture restoring the use tape to the splicing surface, cutting the use 
tape thereon, the upstream leader tape portion being brought into 
end-to-end abutment on the splicing surface with the trailing end of the 
so-cut use tape, splicing together the abutting ends and discharging the 
loaded cassette preparative to loading a further cassette, characterized 
in that the loop of leader tape is extracted from the cassette by 
disposing beneath the non-extracted leader tape loop of said cassette a 
leader extraction member of leader extraction means forming part of a 
final guide assembly comprising said leader extraction means and a final 
guide member of a plurality of tape guide members defining with said 
splicing surface a tape winding path from said use tape supply to said 
cassette, removing the leader extraction member from the locus of the 
cassette by displacement of said leader extraction member in the plane of 
said loop to carry said loop externally from the cassette to said splicing 
surface and to the locus of said final guide member, displacing said final 
guide member laterally relative to the tape through its width from a 
position outside the plane of said loop to a position in said plane at a 
final guiding location of the tape winding path at which said final guide 
is otherwise fixed for rotation immediately upstream of and adjacent to 
the cassette input mouth and at a post-splicing juncture releasing the 
tape loop from said leader extraction means to said final guide and from 
retention on said splicing surface preparative to said winding, and 
characterized in that at a post-winding juncture the leader extraction 
member collects the use tape from the final guide and disposes it upon the 
splicing surface and the final guide displaces reciprocally with respect 
to its aforesaid displacement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
One particular embodiment of the twin-pancake tape winding apparatus of the 
invention will now be described, by way of example only, reference being 
made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
FIG. 1 shows the winding apparatus according to the invention schematically 
and in part only, the lift arm being shown external of the cassette; 
FIG. 2 shows the winding apparatus according to the invention schematically 
and in part only (but is a global view with respect to splicing station 
and face plate components), the changeover arm being shown in its 
anti-clockwise extremity and the lift arm being shown at its lowermost 
extremity; 
FIG. 2A shows as a perspective a part of the assembly shown in FIG. 2 and 
its relationship with a tape supply station shown diagrammatically (for 
ease of representation) as a face-on view of the face plate of the winding 
apparatus; 
FIG. 3 shows, on an enlarged scale, part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, 
the lift arm having the position shown in FIG. 1 and the changeover arm 
being shown at its clockwise extremity; 
FIG. 4 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a pre-extraction 
first stage of the operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero 
cassette, use tape being held by the changeover arm preparative to 
disposition on the splicing surface; 
FIG. 5 shows the splicing station of the apparatus in a second stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, use tape having 
been disposed on the splicing surface by the changeover arm; 
FIG. 6 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a third stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, leader tape 
having been extracted from the cassette by the extractor arm and 
superimposed upon the use tape on the splicing surface; 
FIG. 7 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a fourth stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the extractor 
arm having displaced so that the leader tape is slack preparative to 
cutting and splicing and retained by vacuum on the splicing surface; 
FIG. 8 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a fifth stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the use tape and 
leader tape having been cut, the latter having been spliced to the former, 
the spliced tape lengths still being retained on the splicing surface and 
an upstream leader tail being supported below the splicing surface by the 
lift arm tape retainer; 
FIG. 9 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a sixth stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the tape being 
shown preparative to being wound onto the left hand hub of the cassette in 
a position slightly spaced from the splicing surface by the extractor arm; 
FIG. 10 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a seventh stage of 
the operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the tape 
being shown spaced further from the splicing surface as a result of 
release of the tape by the leader extractor arm to the final tape guide, 
winding of the tape onto the left hand hub of the cassette having already 
commenced; 
FIG. 11 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at an eighth stage of 
the operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, winding 
having been completed and use the tape being offered up to the splicing 
surface by operation of the leader extractor arm; 
FIG. 12 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a ninth stage of the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the leader tape 
upstream tail being shown superimposed by the lift arm over the use tape 
on the splicing surface; 
FIG. 13 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a tenth stage in the 
operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the use tape 
having been slackened preparative to cutting and splicing as a result of 
release of the use tape by the leader extraction arm; 
FIG. 14 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at an eleventh stage of 
the operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, the use tape 
having been cut, and spliced on the splicing surface to the superimposed 
upstream leader tape tail, and the leader extraction arm having been 
rotated to release the tape from the final guide; 
FIG. 15 shows the splicing station of the apparatus at a twelfth stage of 
the operating sequence involved in loading a V-zero cassette, slack tape 
having been taken up into the cassette and the cassette being ready for 
ejection; 
FIG. 16 shows in simplified form the changeover arm in the position 
represented in FIG. 4 of the drawings; 
FIG. 17 is a cross-section through the face plate of the tape winder shown 
in FIG. 2 of the drawings taken vertically through the face plate just to 
the left of the splicing block as represented in FIG. 2, the changeover 
arm being in the position shown in FIG. 16; 
FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 16 but showing the changeover arm in the 
position represented in FIG. 5 of the drawings; 
FIG. 19 is a cross-section similar to that shown in FIG. 17 but showing the 
changeover arm in the position represented in FIG. 18; 
FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 18 but showing the changeover arm in a 
position intermediate the positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the 
drawings; 
FIG. 21 is a cross-section similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 and 19 but 
showing the changeover arm in the position represented in FIG. 20; 
FIG. 22 is a view in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 17 with 
some components shown in cross-section; 
FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the changeover arm clasp shown in simplified 
form in FIG. 22 and various others of the earlier figures; and 
FIG. 24 is a view partially cross-section taken along a vertical plane on 
the axis B shown in FIG. 2; and 
FIGS. 25a to 25i show the splicing station of a counterpart single-pancake 
winder, included for comparative purposes only. 
The twin-pancake tape winding apparatus shown in the drawings comprises a 
face plate 108 mounted to a chassis (not shown), the face plate 108 
assisting to define a housing (not shown) in which control means, 
electrical motive power means, a vacuum source and a pneumatic power 
source are all housed. The face plate 108 serves to mount various 
operating components both on the front face and the rear face thereof. 
Tape winders conventionally have a pancake support hub emerging from the 
face plate and feeding use tape to the tape winding path. In the case of 
the apparatus shown in the drawings, a pair of pancake drive hubs (not 
shown) are emergent frontwards from the face plate 108 so that a pair of 
pancake tape supply spools 141A amdnd 142A may be supported simultaneously 
so that use tape 141 or 142 can be directed to the tape winding path from 
two stores of tape successively via respective vacuum troughs 141B or 142B 
for tape tension control purposes. In FIG. 2, tape from a first pancake is 
shown at 142 entered in the tape winding path, tape 141 from a second 
pancake being ready awaiting the point where that from the first has been 
consumed into cassettes. As shown in FIG. 2, tape 141 is clasped by clasp 
40. When tape 142 is almost consumed an audible warning sounds and 
clasping must take place at that time or before. 
Securely mounted to the front face of face plate 108 is a fixed splicing 
block 3 and associated components together forming a splicing station 2. 
Splicing block 3 is a solid metallic block grooved on its under-surface 
with a longitudinal tape-receiving inverted groove 4 whose ceiling forms 
the tape splicing surface of the tape winder. Two sets of perforations 
open at the splicing surface to provide vacuum shoes 5 and 6 and are 
connected to a vacuum source referred to earlier (not shown) within the 
housing. 
A tape slitting head 7 mounts a blade 8 and cooperates with the grooved 
undersurface of splicing block 3. Slitting head 7 is mounted for 
reciprocatory movement across the groove 4 perpendicular to the plane of 
face plate 108 by means of a fixed shaft 9 upon which the slitting head 7 
is slidably mounted. 
Slitting head 7 is also mounted to shaft 121, cap 122 securing the shaft 
121 and head 7 together. A flange plate of shaft 121 has a coil spring 106 
seated against it so that shaft 121 and extension tube 103 act against the 
compression of coil spring 106 when operated. Extension tube 103 is 
operated by pneumatic cylinder 104 supplied by a pneumatic power source in 
the housing, and more specifically by cylinder rod 124 reciprocating 
therefrom. A cross-groove (not shown) in splicing block 3 intersects 
groove 4 perpendicular thereto and in its plane to provide a path for the 
passage of blade 8 across groove 4 in slitting tape received on the 
splicing surface. In so-doing, blade 8 passes close to the surface of 
splicing block 3 between vacuum shoes 5 and 6 but without contacting the 
material of the block itself. 
A splicing arm 10 operates through an orifice 31 in face plate 108 along a 
linear path of reciprocatory displacement beneath groove 4. Splicing arm 
10 has a retracted position in which it is withdrawn into the housing 
through the splicing arm orifice 31 in the face plate 108 and an operating 
position in which the arm is displaced from the housing to apply a short 
length of splicing tape cut from a supply within the housing to abutting 
tape ends disposed on the splicing surface in groove 4. Splicing arm 10 is 
powered pneumatically from the air pressure source referred to earlier and 
operates in conventional manner known in the art, being fed with vacuum 
from the above-mentioned vacuum source. The splicing arm and its operation 
are described in more detail in UK Patent No 2091438. 
Adjacent the base of face plate 108, a cassette holder 12 is mounted to a 
piston 41 and adjacent cassette lid opening arm 11. Piston 41 is operable 
enabling displacement of the cassette holder 12 under power from the 
pneumatic power source referred to earlier between a cassette-receiving 
position spaced slightly forward of the face plate 108 to facilitate 
charging of a V-zero cassette thereto and a cassette-holding position in 
which the cassette body is proximate the face plate 108 between inner and 
outer plates 13 and 14 of the cassette holder 12. At this latter position 
the cassette is ready for tape loading to begin. 
Two driven shafts (not shown) within the housing terminate in drive 
couplings 15 and 16 provided for engagement with the hub sockets (not 
shown) of the two hubs of a V-zero cassette. With a V-zero cassette 
charged to the cassette holder 12 in the manner referred to earlier, drive 
couplings 15 and 16 engage the spool hub sockets, as the holder 12 is 
displaced rearwardly as mentioned above, an opening 17 in inner plate 13 
of cassette holder 12 being provided to facilitate entry of drive coupling 
15 into one cassette hub and a cut-off corner of inner plate 13 serving 
the same purpose in relation to drive coupling 16. The two shafts 
terminating in couplings 15 and 16 are powered from the electrical motive 
power means referred to earlier (ie a wind motor) in conventional manner. 
Cassette holder 12 forms part of a cassette conveyor system well-known in 
the art whereby loaded cassettes are discharged from holder 12 by incoming 
cassettes from the direction A. 
Face plate 108 is provided with an elongate slot 23. Slot 23 serves as a 
track for reciprocatory displacement of lift arm 19 parallel to face plate 
108. Lift arm 19 has a cranked configuration providing a foot 24 having an 
upwardly facing vacuum shoe 22 connected by ducting (not shown) within 
lift arm 19 to a vacuum source within the housing of the tape winder. Lift 
arm 19 is also powered from a pneumatic power source provided in the 
housing of the tape winding apparatus, being coupled to a pneumatic 
piston-and-cylinder assembly and a ball slide to provide for the 
reciprocatory linear displacement. 
Operating on the front face of the face plate 108 is a final guide assembly 
25 comprising an eccentric plate 18 provided with a leader tape extraction 
arm 21. A bearing block 60 mounted to the rear face of face plate 108 
houses a journal 61 into which a cylindrical boss 62 integral with plate 
18 is received for rotation of plate 18 relative to face plate 108. An 
internal flange of boss 62 forms a toothed wheel 63. Toothed belt 64 
connects toothed wheel 63 to the output of electrical motor 65 to provide 
power to drive plate 18. 
A stroboscopic speed monitoring assembly 66 provided internally of the 
housing of the tape winding apparatus is represented diagrammatically only 
in the drawings since such devices are well known in the tape winding art. 
The assembly internally of the housing includes a shaft 67 received within 
cylindrical boss 62 of plate 18 and terminating externally in a strobe 
wheel 20 of conventional construction. Shaft 67 mounts wheel 70 disposed 
for rotation in block 71 but otherwise fixed therein. Shaft 67 is mounted 
for driven rotation in response to contact of strobe wheel 20 with mobile 
tape during tape winding. Additionally, shaft 67 is mounted for 
reciprocatory linear displacement with block 71 on the axis of rotation of 
strobe wheel 20 so that the strobe wheel 20 has a retracted position in 
the plane of face plate 108 and an exposed position in which it is forward 
of face plate 108 and disposed in the tape winding path. Block 71 of the 
stroboscopic tape speed monitoring assembly 66 has dependent blocks 68 and 
69 secured thereto and slidably mounted, respectively, to rails 72 and 73 
to facilitate the linear displacement just described, rails 72 and 73 both 
being secured to the rear face of face plate 108. Pneumatic cylinder 74 
has a piston acting against block 71, cylinder 74 being mounted to place 
74C. 
Changeover arm assembly 35 comprises a cranked changeover arm 36 mounted to 
a cylindrical sleeve 37 secured to the end of shaft 102, the latter 
passing through an orifice 39 in face plate 108 of the tape winding 
machine. A bearing block 107 (FIG. 17) is mounted somewhat adjacent shaft 
121 of extension tube 103 to the rear face of face plate 108 within the 
housing of the tape winding machine and receives shaft 102 journalled 
therein for rotational and axial displacement. Similarly, shaft 102 is 
received in bearing block 118 for rotational displacement therein. Bearing 
block 118 is mounted to plate 130 straddling a pair of bearing blocks 119. 
The latter are mounted for axial displacement on shafts 120. Shafts 120 
are received at their front extremities in bearing block 107 and secured 
at their rear extremities to plate 126 forming part of the chassis of the 
tape winding machine. A pneumatic cylinder 105 and a related cylinder rod 
125 are responsible for axial displacement capability upon the shafts 20 
of bearing block 118 in the company of plate 130 and bearing blocks 119, 
the rod 125 connecting to a rear face of bearing block 118 in order to 
achieve such displacement. Secured to shaft 102 and restrained from axial 
and rotational displacement relative to shaft 102 is a boss mounting a 
toothed wheel 128 coupled by means of toothed belt 117 to toothed wheel 
127. The latter forms the output of electric motor 116 which is secured to 
plate 130 together with bearing blocks 119 and bearing block 118. Boss 114 
is also secured to shaft 102 and restrained from axial and rotational 
displacement relative thereto, boss 114 having a face confronting bearing 
block 107 and formed with a diametric tongue 101 engageable in a 
complementary diametric slot (not shown) formed in a metallic pressure pad 
100 registered with boss 114 and having a circular form matching the size 
of the circular form of boss 114. Of course, both tongue 101 and the 
corresponding slot in pressure pad 100 are interrupted by an opening to 
receive shaft 102 through the boss 114, the pressure pad 100 and into the 
bearing block 107. 
An opto vein 129 extends beyond the periphery of boss 114 over a 
180.degree. extent of the circumference of boss 114 so as to interrupt an 
optical beam generated by opto transmitter 112 in the direction of opto 
receiver 111, opto transmitter 112 and opto receiver 111 being mounted to 
opto bracket 110 mounted to plate 130. Signal lead 109 transmits signals 
from the opto receiver to the tape winder control system signifying the 
presence or absence of the opto vein as an obstacle between the opto 
receiver 111 and opto transmitter 112 in order thereby to signify the 
disposition of the changeover arm in the event, for example, of an 
emergency shut-down of the tape winder. 
Plate 131 straddles shaft 120 and is secured to each bearing block 119. 
Plate 131 mounts plunger 103 referred to earlier. Changeover arm 36 is 
provided at its extremity with clasp 40. 
Clasp 40 comprises a barrel 241 received in a sleeve 242, a cylindrical 
tape contact surface being provided by the barrel 241 between a pair of 
axially opposed annular enlargements 134 and 135. Quadrant 133 forming 
part of barrel 241 has a pair of depressions 243 and 244 on its 
under-surface 245. A pair of coil springs 138 are received respectively in 
depressions 243 and 244. Similar depressions 246 and 247 are formed in 
face 148 of barrel 241 and are registered with depressions 243 and 244 so 
that coil springs 138 can be accommodated in barrel 241. In the assembled 
clasp, of course, it is quadrant 133 which provides the cylindrical tape 
contact surface just referred to above. A pair of wedges 149 abut quadrant 
133 leaving exposed therebetween a portion of the tape-contacting surface 
smaller in width than the width of the use tape. The compressive 
resistance of the coil springs 138 is such that manual downward pressure 
of tape upon the quadrant 133 depresses the quadrant 133 whereby the tape 
dishes across its width as it is urged down the inclined surfaces of the 
wedges 149 and can flip outwardly, once the wedges 149 have been cleared, 
into the spacing between the wedges 149 and the displaced quadrant 133. 
The compression of coil springs 138 urges the quadrant 133 upwardly to nip 
the tape in that space once downward tape pressure is released. 
In operation of the tape winder shown in the drawings, tape 142 issued from 
vacuum trough 142B (through which it is threaded previously) is first 
manually grasped by its end, disposed upon the curved surface of quadrant 
133 of clasp 40 and urged downwardly so as to compress coil springs 138 
and thus depress quadrant 133 radially inwardly of the barrel 241. The 
vacuum trough is in operation at this point. The tape 142 suffers 
concurvature as a result of its lateral margins abutting wedges 149. 
Continued downward pressure on tape 142 results in the marginal edges of 
tape 142 clearing the wedges 149. The tape then flips outwardly becoming 
restored to its essentially planar condition and occupying the small gap 
between the underside of each of wedges 149 and the curved upper surface 
of quadrant 133. Relaxation of the pressure applied to tape 142 allows the 
compressive forces in coil springs 138 to recover substantially the 
original position of quadrant 133 with the result that tape 142 is nipped 
between the upper curved surface of quadrant 133 and the undersides of 
each wedge of the pair of wedges 149. In this manner, the tape 142 is 
securely clasped by clasp 40 in readiness for transfer to splicing station 
2 by changeover arm 36. At this point, the state of the apparatus is 
essentially as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. 
A cassette is then charged to cassette holder 12 which, as shown in FIG. 2, 
is in cassette-receiving position spaced slightly forward of face plate 
108. Operation of piston 41 restores cassette holder 12 to a 
cassette-holding position in which the cassette is proximate face plate 
108, drive couplings 15 and 16 engaging in the hub sockets of the two 
cassette hubs. At this point, final guide assembly 25 is in its rest 
position with leader tape extraction arm 21 received through an aperture 
in the cassette so that it is disposed immediately beneath the bridge of 
tape 143 passing between the input and output mouths of the cassette. 
Similarly, lift arm 19 is at the lower extremity of its reciprocation, 
foot 24 similarly being received in an aperture in the cassette with 
vacuum shoe 22 immediately beneath the tape bridge. The machine state at 
this point is in simple terms as shown in FIG. 4 and in more detail as 
represented in FIGS. 17 and 22. 
Assuming the somewhat idealized situation of a new winder not previously 
used (for purposes of illustration), the splicing surface carries no tape 
at this point. The control functions of the tape winder now call for 
displacement of the changeover arm assembly 35. Pneumatic cylinder 105 
operates to draw rod 125 toward the cylinder 105 (ie in a left hand 
direction with reference to FIGS. 17 and 22). Rod 125 pulls with it 
bearing assembly 118 and the plate 130 to which it is mounted. Shaft 102 
is carried in the same direction together with toothed wheel 128 and boss 
114 both secured thereto. This axial displacement withdraws tongue 101 
from the pressure pad slot and thus restores the capacity of shaft 102 to 
rotate. In this condition, the axial displacement of shaft 102 and its 
supported components is as shown in FIG. 19. 
Electrical stepper motor 116 (FIG. 17) is now actuated causing toothed 
wheel 127 to rotate in a clockwise direction, the rotational sense 
referred to being as viewed from the front face of face plate 108. 
Rotation of toothed wheel 127 drives toothed belt 117 and causes 
corresponding clockwise rotation of toothed wheel 128. Fixture of toothed 
wheel 128 and its related boss to shaft 102 transmits the rotational drive 
of motor 116 to shaft 102 and via cylindrical sleeve 37 of changeover arm 
assembly 35 to changeover arm 36. This drives clasp 40 at the extremity of 
changeover arm 36 in a clockwise sweep beneath splicing station 2 until it 
reaches a limit displacement as represented in FIG. 5 with clasp 40 
disposed immediately adjacent final guide assembly 25. The position is 
shown more simply in FIG. 18 and in the context of the position of shaft 
102 and its supported components, as mentioned earlier, in FIG. 19. 
Referring to FIG. 19 of the drawings, it will be appreciated that the 
above-described leftward axial displacement of shaft 102 aligns the 
tape-contacting surface of clasp 40 with the splicing surface represented 
by the base of groove 4 in splicing block 3. Accordingly, as shown in 
FIGS. 5, 18 and 19 of the drawings, tape 142 is disposed in groove 4 as a 
result of the rotational displacement clockwise of changeover arm 36. 
Vacuum is at this point supplied to vacuum shoe 6 in groove 4 to retain 
tape 142 on the splicing surface by suction. Similarly, vacuum is supplied 
to vacuum shoe 5. Tape slitting head 7, as shown in each of FIGS. 17, 19 
and 21, is maintained with blade 8 stationary to the remote side of 
splicing block 3 to face plate 108, pneumatic pressure in pneumatic 
cylinder 104 acting through cylinder rod 124 and extension tube 103 on 
shaft 121 for this purpose. With tape 142 secured on the splicing surface 
of splicing block 3 by vacuum shoes 5 and 6, pneumatic pressure in 
pneumatic cylinder 104 is released allowing snap recovery of coil spring 
106 drawing shaft 121 left in the sense shown in FIG. 17 and thus drawing 
blade 108 through the cross groove in splicing block 3 to sever the tape 
142 into upstream and downstream portions. The upstream portion remains 
secured to the splicing surface by operation of vacuum shoe 6 whilst 
vacuum ceases to be applied to vacuum shoe 5 so that the downstream 
portion of tape 142 is secured only by its retention in clasp 40. 
Pneumatic cylinder 105 is now operated to cause left-to-right displacement 
of the shaft 102. This axial displacement of shaft 102 is limited by 
contact between tongue 101 and the planar surface of pressure plate 100 as 
is represented by the relation between these components in FIG. 21 of the 
drawings. Once the changeover arm assembly 35 has been displaced outwardly 
from face plate 108 in this way so as to clear the splicing station, it 
commences its anti-clockwise displacement. Simultaneously, lift arm 19 is 
reciprocated upwardly in slot 23 as plate 18 suffers anti-clockwise 
displacement. 
In FIG. 21, the changeover arm assembly 35 is shown displaced to an 
intermediate position represented more clearly in FIG. 20 as a result of 
the above-mentioned anti-clockwise rotational displacement of changeover 
arm 36 such displacement, of course, being responsive to stepper motor 116 
and connection of its drive via toothed wheel 127, toothed belt 117 and 
toothed wheel 128 to shaft 102. The reciprocation of lift arm 19 and 
rotation of plate 18 both mentioned above, cause leader tape 143 bridging 
between the input and output mouths of the cassette to be extracted by 
leader tape extraction arm 21, the two operations running in parallel and 
the leader tape 143 being presented as a loop to the splicing surface 
represented by the base of groove 4 in splicing block 3. As shown in FIG. 
6 of the drawings, the leader tape becomes disposed on the splicing 
surface and, of course, overlies the upstream portion of use tape 142 
which continues to be retained on the splicing surface by operation of 
vacuum shoe 6. Vacuum shoe 5 is at this point reactivated and plate 18 
suffers slight clockwise rotation to release leader extractor arm 21 from 
the leader tape 143, rendering the leader tape slightly slack preparative 
for cutting. Tape slitting head 7 then operates again in the manner 
described earlier, slitting the leader tape into upstream and downstream 
portions along a line of cut corresponding precisely to the cut leading 
edge of the underlying upstream portion of use tape 142. The machine state 
at this point is as represented in FIG. 7 of the drawings. 
Continued anti-clockwise rotation of changeover arm 36 restores the 
changeover arm assembly 35 to the position represented in FIGS. 6 and 17 
of the drawings and shown more simply in FIG. 16. The anti-clockwise stop 
in the rotation of changeover arm assembly 35 is represented by 
registration between tongue 101 and the complementary diametric slot 
formed in metallic pressure pad 100. At this point, of course, axial force 
along shaft 102 urges tongue 101 into the above-mentioned diametric slot 
to produce the machine state represented in FIG. 17. 
Whilst maintaining both vacuum shoe 5 and vacuum shoe 6 active, lift arm 19 
is lowered after activating vacuum shoe 22 on foot 24 of the lift arm 19. 
Lift arm 19 therefore carries the upstream tail of leader tape 143 upon 
vacuum shoe 22 leaving the upstream portion of use tape 142 retained on 
the splicing surface by vacuum shoe 6 in end-to-end abutment with the 
downstream portion of leader tape 143 retained on the splicing surface by 
vacuum shoe 5. Splicing arm 10 then emerges through orifice 31 in face 
plate 108 and applies a block of splicing tape over the above-mentioned 
abutting tape edges as shown in FIG. 8. Vacuum shoes 5 and 6 are then 
deactivated. 
Whilst this sequence of operations is taking place, plate 18 rotates in 
anti-clockwise displacement whereby leader extraction arm 21 is again 
brought into contact with the leader tape, displacing the loop of leader 
tape so as to circulate about the locus of the retracted strobe wheel 20. 
At any convenient point once the changeover arm assembly 35 has been 
restored to its anti-clockwise stop (and, of course, is disposed to one 
side of the tape winding path of tape 142), tape 141 from the second tape 
store of the tape winder can be secured to the clasp 40 in the manner 
already described, the remnant end of tape 142 being first discarded. Tape 
141 is shown secured to clasp 40 in FIG. 6. It will be noted that the same 
is shown in FIG. 2 which shows also that the tape paths for the two tapes 
141 and 142 cross although occupying different planes. With the machine 
state as represented in FIG. 9 of the drawings, strobe wheel 20 is driven 
forward of face plate 108 by actuating pneumatic cylinder 74 so that its 
piston acts upon block 71 to drive sliding displacement of the assembly 
70, 71, 68, 69, 74A, 74B on rails 72 and 73. With the strobe wheel 20 
proud of the face plate 108 as shown in FIG. 10 of the drawings, leader 
tape 143 is released by leader extraction arm 21 to the surface of the 
strobe wheel 20, drive is applied to drive shaft 15 and use tape 142 is 
wound along the tape path shown in FIG. 10 onto the left-hand hub of the 
cassette. 
When a pre-determined amount of use tape has been wound into the cassette 
(as shown by the tape wound on the left-hand spool in FIG. 11 of the 
drawings), drive to the drive coupling 15 is ceased and plate 18 is 
rotated anti-clockwise until leader extraction arm 21 engages the use tape 
142, disposing the use tape 142 in the groove 4 of splicing block 3 as 
shown in FIG. 11. At this point, of course, strobe wheel 20 remains proud 
of face plate 108 and is in contact with use tape 142. 
As shown in FIG. 12, lift arm 19 is at this point caused to elevate in its 
track 23, thus raising the upstream tail of leader tape 142 referred to 
earlier into superimposition upon the use tape 142, both use tape 142 and 
the upstream portion of leader tape 143 at this point being disposed in 
groove 4. Vacuum shoes 5 and 6 are now reactivated. Rotation of plate 18 
slackens the tape as shown in FIG. 13. Slitting head 7 then operates in 
the manner previously described and in so doing severs through the use 
tape in groove 4. The line of cut corresponds to the cut leading edge of 
the upstream portion of leader tape 143. Splicing arm 10 then operates 
once more in the manner previously described to apply a block of splicing 
tape over the abutting ends of use tape and leader tape tail retained in 
groove 4. The machine state is then as shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings, 
strobe wheel 20 at this point being in contact with the use tape and 
leader extraction arm 21 being out of contact with the use tape. 
The use tape and leader tape having been spliced, lift arm 19 is lowered to 
cassette mouth level as shown in FIG. 14, vacuum shoes 5 and 6 are 
deactivated and plate 18 is rotated anti-clockwise to the point where it 
supports the use tape 142 clear of the strobe wheel 20. Displacement of 
assembly 70, 71, 68, 69 on rails 72 and 73 reciprocally with respect to 
the axial displacement thereof described earlier retracts the strobe wheel 
20 through the plane of the face plate 108. Plate 18 then rotates in a 
clockwise direction whilst at the same time drive is connected to drive 
coupling 15 to draw slack tape into the cassette. Plate 18 reaches a stop 
with leader extraction arm 21 received in the appropriate aperture of the 
cassette. The machine state is at this point as shown in FIG. 15 of the 
drawings. Piston 41 is now activated to restore cassette holder 12 to its 
cassette-receiving position forward of face plate 108. This frees the 
cassette of all encumbrances and it is then discharged from holder 12 to a 
cassette conveyor by means of the cassette discharge system referred to 
earlier. A fresh cassette is then charged to cassette holder 12 and the 
above loading operation is repeated. 
When the store of tape 142 has been depleted to the point where it no 
longer contains sufficient use tape to load a further cassette, the 
upstream tail of use tape 142 which remains on the splicing surface of 
splicing block 3 after completion of the loading of a cassette and its 
discharge from cassette holder 12 is drawn back onto the tape store (ie 
pancake spool 42A). Changeover arm assembly 35 is then operated in the 
manner already described so that tape loading may continue from the fresh 
store of use tape 141. Of course, at this point, the depleted store of 
tape 142 is replaced by a further store in readiness for depletion of the 
store of tape 141. 
It is a useful exercise to consider splicing station activity in relation, 
for comparison purposes only, to a single-pancake tape winder counterpart 
to the twin-pancake winder which is the subject of FIGS. 1 to 24. Such a 
single-pancake loader or winder is shown in FIGS. 25a to 25i. 
In operation of that apparatus, the leading end of magnetic tape 142 is 
first guided around a capstan and guide system to the splicing station 2 
where it is held in position by means of vacuum supplied to each of vacuum 
shoes 5 and 6. Slitting head 7 then operates and the tape end cut off by 
the blade thereof is removed and discarded. 
A V-zero cassette is then loaded to cassette holder 12 and the holder 12 
then displaced inwardly on piston 41. 
Leader extraction arm 18A (whose counterpart in FIG. 2 it will be 
appreciated is final guide assembly 25 comprised of plate 18 and 
extraction arm 21) and lift arm or tape extraction arm 19 are then 
energized and move to the top of their strokes. The effect of this is to 
extract leader tape 143 and dispose it in groove 4 so that the leading end 
of magnetic tape 142 is spaced about 0.25mm from the surface of the leader 
tape (FIG. 25b), the vacuum shoe 22 of lift arm 19 at the top of its 
stroke falling similarly short of the downwardly facing surface or ceiling 
of groove 4. 
Lift arm 19 activates a microswitch (not shown) at the top of its stroke, 
thus activating an air-controlled stop on the slide of the lift arm. The 
stop defines a position intermediate the lowest position of the stroke of 
arm 19 and the top of its stroke (as represented in FIGS. 25a to 25g). 
With leader tape 143 disposed in the groove 4 of splicing block 3, the 
slack arm 145 conditions the cassette (ie the arm 145 is operated to take 
up leader tape 143 on one of the cassette spools). 
When the lift arm 19 has been energized and reaches the top of its stroke, 
a delay is started after which vacuum is applied to vacuum shoes 5 and 6 
in the groove 4 of block 3 and vacuum shoe 22 of lift arm 19 is switched 
on. This stage in the operating sequence is, of course, also represented 
by FIG. 25b. 
After an additional delay, slitting head 7 is activated causing the 
slitting blade 8 to move from its rest position, in which it is clear of 
block 3, towards face plate 108 and then to reciprocate to its rest 
position (FIG. 25c). 
This slits leader tape 143 at the location of the leading end of magnetic 
tape 142 into a first or forward length which can be wound by hub 15 and a 
second length secured to the other spool of V-zero cassette. 
The lift arm 19 and leader extraction arm 18 A are then de-energized 
causing them to drop under pneumatic force to their stops previously 
referred to. Vacuum shoe 22 is left switched on (FIG. 25d) to retain the 
second length of leader tape 143, the first length of leader tape 143 
being retained on the groove surface by vacuum shoe 6 and the use tape 142 
being retained, with its leading end butted to the trailing end of the 
first length of leader tape 143, in groove 4 by vacuum shoe 5. 
With the butting ends of the magnetic tape 142 and first or forward length 
of leader tape 143 retained in the above manner in groove 4, the splicing 
arm 10 is activated to adhere a short length of splicing tape over the 
butting end and thereby splice the two lengths together (FIG. 25e). 
Leader extraction arm 18 is then again raised into leader tape contact and, 
with splicing arm 10 retracted, a wind cycle is commenced, vacuum 
continuing to be applied to vacuum shoe 22 but vacuum shoes 5 and 6 being 
deprived of vacuum so as to release the now spliced tape, by activating 
the wind motors driving hub 15 (FIG. 25f). When a predetermined length of 
magnetic tape 142 has been spooled into the cassette, the wind cycle stops 
and vacuum shoes 5 and 6 re-activated (FIG. 25f). 
With a continuous length of magnetic tape 142 now retained in groove 4 by 
the vacuum shoes 5 and 6, a second slitting sequence is commenced to slit 
the use tape into two lengths (FIG. 25g). Lift arm 19 is then activated to 
raise the leading end of the leader tape 143 (ie the second leader tape 
length referred to earlier) into close proximity (ie about 0.25 mm away 
from the ceiling of groove 4) to the length of cut magnetic tape 
terminating in the leading end from the supply reel; leader extraction arm 
18 is also de-energized (FIG. 25h). In this condition, the leader tape 
positioned as described has its end essentially butted to the end of the 
magnetic tape 142 trailing from the hub 15 of the cassette. 
A second splicing operation is then effected by activating splicing arm 10 
a second time to splice together the trailing end of magnetic tape 142 and 
the leading end of the leader tape 143 from the other spool of the 
cassette (FIG. 25i). Further winding at hub 15 after retraction of 
splicing arm 10, de-activation of vacuum shoe 5 and de-activation of lift 
arm 19 to the lowest position of its stroke draws the slack loop of tape 
into the cassette leaving only leader tape exposed at the mouth of the 
cassette. Continued activation of vacuum shoe 6 retains the leading end of 
magnetic tape 142 from the supply reel within groove 4 in readiness for a 
further cycle of operations to be conducted with a fresh V-zero cassette. 
It will be appreciated that the invention claimed in the following claims 
and preferred features thereof can be summarized as the following 
enumerated embodiments: 
1. A tape winding apparatus comprising a use tape supply station, a tape 
splicing station disposed so as in use to receive on a tape splicing 
surface thereof use tape wound from the use tape supply station in use, a 
cassette holding station disposed so as in use to receive on a hub of a 
cassette disposed at said cassette holding station tape wound from said 
tape splicing station, tape winding power means for driving said cassette 
hub to effect said winding of said tape, a plurality of tape guides 
defining with said splicing station a tape winding path from said tape 
supply station to said cassette hub, said plurality of tape guides 
including a final guide assembly for issuing tape to said cassette hub in 
winding of use tape from the use tape supply by the apparatus, said final 
guide assembly comprising leader extraction means comprising a leader 
extraction member and a final guide member, the leader extraction member 
having a rest position in which said member is disposed to penetrate 
beneath the non-extracted leader tape of the leader tape loop of a zero 
cassette charged to said cassette holding station and being mounted and 
arranged for two phases of reciprocatory displacement in the plane of said 
loop so that said leader extraction member can be removed from the locus 
of said cassette in a first phase of reciprocation to carry the leader 
tape loop externally from the cassette to said splicing surface of said 
splicing station and to the locus of said final guide member for release 
of said extracted tape loop and transfer thereof to said final guide 
member by said leader extraction member in a second phase of said 
reciprocatory displacement of said leader extraction member, said final 
guide member being displaceable laterally relative to the tape 
reciprocally between a position in and a position outside the plane of 
said loop at a final tape guiding location of the tape winding path at 
which said final guide member is otherwise fixed for rotation immediately 
upstream of and adjacent to the cassette input mouth, and said final guide 
member comprising a circularly cylindrical tape guide contact element 
which is mounted for rotation responsive to contact of its cylindrical 
surface in use by mobile tape winding to said driven cassette hub and 
guided by said tape guide contact element and which has a diameter sized 
too large to be accommodated beneath the aforesaid non-extracted leader 
tape of said cassette, tape cutting means disposed at said splicing 
station and addressing a cutting location at which tape is disposed on the 
splicing surface in use and tape splicing means for splicing tape ends 
together upon said splicing surface. 
2. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 1 wherein said tape supply station 
comprises means for mounting a plurality of separate stores of tape. 
3. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 2 wherein means is provided to 
mount a pair of separate magnetic tape stores for sequential use and 
changeover means is provided to introduce to the tape winding path a tape 
supply from a second magnetic tape store once the tape supply from a first 
is exhausted or depleted to a predetermined extent. 
4. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 3 wherein said tape supply station 
is configured to provide a pair of use tape stores in use and comprising a 
pair of tape tension control means, one tape tension control means being 
provided respectively for each tape store of said pair of tape stores and 
disposed to receive tape therefrom in use of the apparatus and said 
changeover means is changeover means disposed downstream of said tape 
tension control means for addressing the output tape of said tape tension 
control means of said use tape stores successively at a tape pick-up 
station downstream of said tape tension control means and outside said 
tape winding path, said changeover means being operable to introduce 
successively to said tape winding path use tape from each of said use tape 
stores by disposition thereof upon said splicing surface by a transfer 
member of said changeover means displaceable between said tape pick-up 
station and said splicing station, said changeover means being operable so 
as in use to address at said pick-up station one such use tape store and 
pick-up use tape therefrom, preparative to introducing said use tape to 
said winding path, during the time the use tape of the other use tape 
store issues to the tape winding path to supply the splicing station and 
the cassette hub. 
5. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 3 or Embodiment 4 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a displaceable elongate member provided with a 
tape securing head. 
6. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 3 to 5 wherein said 
changeover means includes a tape securing head which comprises a 
mechanical clasp or a vacuum shoe. 
7. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 6 wherein said mechanical clasp 
comprises a tape carriage surface yieldingly supported by a compressible 
support means which yields resiliently under pressure from a tape length 
manually urged upon said tape carriage surface and jaw means overlying and 
normally in contact with said tape carriage surface and spaced therefrom 
when the tape carriage surface has yielded to form a mouth defined between 
said jaw means and said tape carriage surface, the jaw means comprising at 
least one member having a first mouth-defining face confronting the tape 
carriage surface but leaving part thereof exposed so as to provide an 
access to said tape carriage surface for said tape, said access 
accommodating the tape width only after its concurvature on a longitudinal 
tape axis, and a second face directed away from the tape carriage surface 
and configured to deform said tape to provide said concurvature with said 
manual urging of the tape length on said tape carriage surface. 
8. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 6 or Embodiment 7 wherein said 
displaceable elongate member is a cranked arm mounted for rotation through 
an arc between a first position in which said tape securing head and said 
arm are outside the tape winding path for manual provision to said head of 
a leading end of use tape emanating from a first of use tape stores and a 
second position in which said head is adjacent said splicing station and 
use tape carried by said head is disposed on said splicing surface for 
release thereto by said head. 
9. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 3 to 8 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a member displaceable by rotation between a 
tape pick-up location outside the tape winding path and a tape-release 
position in which said member addresses the tape splicing surface, the 
member being displaceable perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the 
aforesaid displacement between a lockable position in which the member can 
be locked in said tape pick-up position and the aforesaid rotational 
displacement is prevented and a position in which the member is free to 
suffer said displacement by rotation to said tape-release position. 
10. An apparatus as defined in any preceding embodiment wherein said 
extraction means is disposed for rotation displacement whereby the leader 
tape loop is carried to the splicing surface in said first phase of 
reciprocation and transferred to said final guide member in said second 
phase of reciprocation. 
11. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 10 wherein said extraction member 
is disposed for said rotational displacement about said final guide 
member. 
12. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 11 wherein said leader extraction 
means is disposed for said rotational displacement about the axis of 
rotation of said final guide member. 
13. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 10 to 12 wherein said 
leader extraction means comprises an eccentric mounted for said rotational 
displacement and provided with a tape extraction element forming said 
leader extraction member and originating therefrom proximate the extremity 
thereof radially most remote from the axis of rotation of said eccentric 
and serving as said leader extraction member. 
14. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 10 to 13 wherein the 
leader extraction means is rotationally displaceable between stops which 
define the radial positions of the leader extraction member at which first 
the non-extracted leader tape is almost in contact by its underside with 
the leader extraction member and at which secondly the extracted leader 
tape loop carried by said leader extraction member defines a loop plane 
which is interfacially juxtaposed to the final-guide member such that the 
extrapolated axis of rotation of said final guide member and an imaginary 
cylinder having the same axis and the diameter of said final guide member 
intersects with said loop plane. 
15. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 10 to 14 wherein the 
leader extraction means is disposed to be driven in use in its rotational 
displacement by a stepper motor. 
16. An apparatus as defined in any preceding Embodiment wherein said final 
guide member is reciprocatively displaceable linearly upon the axis of its 
rotation. 
17. An apparatus as defined in any preceding embodiment and including a 
tachometric tape transport speed monitor including a tacho wheel and 
interfaced for the speed control purposes of the apparatus with said power 
means, and the plurality of tape guides defining with said splicing 
station and said tacho wheel said tape winding path from said tape supply 
station to said cassette hub, said tacho wheel being disposed in the tape 
winding path downstream of said splicing station. 
18. An apparatus as defined in any preceding embodiment wherein said final 
guide member forms a tacho wheel of a tachometric tape transport speed 
monitor interfaced for the speed control purposes of the apparatus with 
said power means. 
19. An apparatus as defined in any preceding Embodiment wherein the 
splicing surface is constructed as a vacuum shoe for tape retention 
purposes. 
20. An apparatus as defined in any preceding Embodiment wherein the 
splicing surface is the floor of a groove depressed into the surface of a 
fixed splicing block and extending in the direction of the tape winding 
path. 
21. An apparatus as defined in any preceding Embodiment wherein the 
splicing surface is defined upon a splicing block formed with a cutter 
groove traversing the part of the tape winding path coincident with the 
splicing surface. 
22. An apparatus as defined in any preceding Embodiment wherein a leader 
tape retaining member is provided to retain the portion of said leader 
tape issuing from said cassette and disposed upstream of said cutting 
location on said splicing surface. 
23. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 22 wherein said leader tape 
retaining member is displaceable between a first position in which it is 
in use disposed beneath the non-extracted leader tape loop of the leader 
tape of the zero cassette and a second position in which it has been 
removed from the locus of the cassette to assist in carrying the leader 
tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing surface of said 
splicing station. 
24. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 22 or Embodiment 23 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is disposed for displacement from the locus 
of the splicing surface to carry its charge of upstream leader tape from 
said tape path after operation of said tape cutting means to sever the 
leader tape into separate upstream and downstream leader tape portions and 
for reciprocal displacement to restore said upstream leader tape portion 
to said tape path at said splicing surface at termination of use tape 
winding into said cassette, preparative to splicing of the leading end of 
said upstream leader tape portion to the use tape trailing end disposed 
upon said splicing surface after operation of said tape cutting means in 
relation to use tape stationary on the splicing surface at said winding 
termination. 
25. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 22 to 24 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member has a surface constructed as a vacuum shoe. 
26. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 22 to 24 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is a cranked elongate member. 
27. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 22 to 26 wherein said 
leader tape retaining means is coupled to power means for driving said 
retaining means in linear reciprocatory displacement. 
28. A method of loading tape into cassettes which method comprises 
disposing a leading end of use tape emanating from a use tape supply at a 
use tape supply station of a tape winding apparatus upon a splicing 
surface of the apparatus, whilst retaining the use tape on said splicing 
surface optionally cutting the tape across its lateral dimension to form 
separate upstream and downstream portions of use tape, charging a zero 
cassette to said apparatus subsequent to said cutting or at a previous 
juncture, extracting a loop of leader tape from said cassette and 
disposing said leader tape of said loop on the splicing surface, whilst 
retaining the leader tape on the splicing surface either cutting the 
leader tape across its lateral dimension in overlying relationship with 
the upstream portion of use tape and with the leader tape cut 
corresponding to the position of the cut end of the upstream portion of 
use tape whereby separate upstream and downstream portions of said leader 
tape are formed, or cutting the use tape and overlying leader tape 
together whereby both are cut into separate upstream and downstream 
portions, disposing the upstream leader tape portion on a leader tape 
retainer and removing said upstream leader tape portion from the splicing 
surface by displacement of said leader tape retainer, splicing the so 
exposed upstream portion of use tape on the splicing surface to the 
downstream portion of leader tape on the splicing surface, and winding use 
tape into the cassette, the downstream portion of said use tape being 
removed from the splicing surface, and at a post-winding juncture 
restoring the use tape to the splicing surface, cutting the use tape 
thereon, the upstream leader tape portion being brought into end-to-end 
abutment on the splicing surface with the trailing end of the so-cut use 
tape, splicing together the abutting ends and discharging the loaded 
cassette preparative to loading a further cassette, characterized in that 
the loop of leader tape is extracted from the cassette by disposing 
beneath the non-extracted leader tape loop of said cassette a leader 
extraction member of leader extraction means forming part of a final guide 
assembly comprising said leader extraction means and a final guide member 
of a plurality of tape guide members defining with said splicing surface a 
tape winding path from said use tape supply to said cassette, removing the 
leader extraction member from the locus of the cassette by displacement of 
said leader extraction member in the plane of said loop to carry said loop 
externally from the cassette to said splicing surface and to the locus of 
said final guide member, displacing said final guide member laterally 
relative to the tape through its width from a position outside the plane 
of said loop to a position in said plane at a final guiding location of 
the tape winding path at which said final guide is otherwise fixed for 
rotation immediately upstream of and adjacent to the cassette input mouth 
and at a post-splicing juncture releasing the tape loop from said leader 
extraction means to said final guide and from retention on said splicing 
surface preparative to said winding, and characterized in that at a 
post-winding juncture the leader extraction member collects the use tape 
from the final guide and disposes it upon the splicing surface and the 
final guide displaces reciprocally with respect to its aforesaid 
displacement. 
29. A tape winding apparatus which comprises a use tape supply station 
configured for the provision of a pair of use tape stores in use and 
comprising a pair of tape tension control means, one tape tension control 
means being provided respectively for each tape store of said pair of tape 
stores and disposed to receive tape therefrom in use of the apparatus, a 
tape splicing station disposed downstream of the tape supply station and 
so as in use to receive on a tape splicing surface thereof use tape wound 
from a tape tension control means and use tape store disposed at said tape 
supply station, a cassette holding station disposed downstream of said 
tape splicing station and so as in use to receive on a hub of a cassette 
disposed at said cassette holding station, tape wound from said tape 
splicing station in use, tape winding power means for driving said 
cassette hub to effect tape winding, a plurality of tape guides for 
defining with said splicing station a tape winding path extending from 
said use tape supply station to said cassette hub, the apparatus including 
leader extraction means having an extraction member displaceable between a 
first position in which in use it is disposed in juxtaposed relation to 
the non-extracted leader tape loop of the leader tape of a zero cassette 
charged in use to said cassette holding station and a second position in 
which it has been removed from the locus of the cassette to carry the 
leader tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing surface of 
said splicing station, changeover means disposed downstream of said tape 
tension control means for addressing the output tape of said tape tension 
control means of said use tape stores successively at a tape pick-up 
station downstream of said tape tension control means and outside said 
tape winding path, said changeover means -being operable to introduce 
successively to said tape winding path use tape from each of said use tape 
stores by disposition thereof upon said splicing surface by a transfer 
member of said changeover means displaceable between said tape pick-up 
station and said splicing station, said changeover means being operable so 
as in use to address at said pick-up station one such use tape store and 
pick-up use tape therefrom, preparative to introducing said use tape to 
said winding path, during the time the use tape of the other use tape 
store issues to the tape winding path to supply the splicing station and 
the cassette hub, tape cutting means disposed at said splicing station and 
addressing a cutting location at which tape is disposed on the splicing 
surface in use and tape splicing means for splicing tape ends together 
upon said splicing surface. 
30. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 29 and including a tachometric 
tape transport speed monitor which includes a tacho wheel and is 
interfaced for the speed control purposes of the apparatus with said power 
means, said plurality of tape guides defining with said splicing station 
and said tacho wheel a tape winding path from said tape supply station to 
said cassette hub and said tacho wheel being disposed in the tape winding 
path downstream of said splicing station. 
31. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 29 or Embodiment 30 and 
comprising a use tape supply station, a tape splicing station disposed so 
as in use to receive on a tape splicing surface thereof use tape wound 
from the use tape supply station in use, a cassette holding station 
disposed so as in use to receive on a hub of a cassette disposed at said 
cassette holding station, tape wound from said tape splicing station, tape 
winding power means for driving said cassette hub to effect said winding 
of said tape, and a plurality of tape guides defining with said splicing 
station a tape winding path from said use tape supply station to said 
cassette hub, said plurality of tape guides including a final guide 
assembly for issuing tape to said cassette hub in winding of use tape from 
the use tape supply by the apparatus, said final guide assembly comprising 
leader extraction means comprising a leader extraction member and a final 
guide member, the leader extraction member having a rest position in which 
said member is disposed to penetrate beneath the non-extracted leader tape 
of the leader tape loop of a zero cassette charged to said cassette 
holding station and being mounted and arranged for two phases of 
reciprocatory displacement in the plane of said loop so that said leader 
extraction member can be removed from the locus of-said cassette in a 
first phase of reciprocation to carry the leader tape loop externally from 
the cassette to said splicing surface of said splicing station and to the 
locus of said final guide member for release of said extracted tape loop 
and transfer thereof to said final guide member by said leader extraction 
member in a second phase of said reciprocatory displacement of said leader 
extraction member, said final guide member being displaceable laterally 
relative to the tape reciprocally between a position in and a position 
outside the plane of said loop at a final tape guiding location of the 
tape winding path at which said final guide member is otherwise fixed for 
rotation immediately upstream of and adjacent to the cassette input mouth, 
and said final guide member comprising a circularly cylindrical tape guide 
contact element which is mounted for rotation responsive to contact of its 
cylindrical surface in use by mobile tape winding to said driven cassette 
hub and guided by said tape guide contact element and which has a diameter 
sized too large to be accommodated beneath the aforesaid non-extracted 
leader tape of said cassette. 
32. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 31 wherein said extraction means 
is disposed for rotation displacement whereby the leader tape loop is 
carried to the splicing surface in said first phase of reciprocation and 
transferred to said final guide member in said second phase of 
reciprocation. 
33. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 32 wherein said extraction member 
is disposed for said rotational displacement about said final guide 
member. 
34. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 33 wherein said leader extraction 
means is disposed for said rotational displacement about the axis of 
rotation of said final guide member. 
35. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 32 to 34 wherein said 
leader extraction means comprises an eccentric mounted for said rotational 
displacement and provided with a tape extraction element forming said 
leader extraction member and originating therefrom proximate the extremity 
thereof radially most remote from the axis of rotation of said eccentric 
and serving as said leader extraction member. 
36. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 32 to 35 wherein the 
leader extraction means is rotationally displaceable between stops which 
define the radial positions of the leader extraction member at which first 
the non-extracted leader tape is almost in contact by its underside with 
the leader extraction member and at which secondly the extracted leader 
tape loop carried by said leader extraction member defines a loop plane 
which is interfacially juxtaposed to the final guide member such that the 
extrapolated axis of rotation of said final guide member and an imaginary 
cylinder having the same axis and the diameter of said final guide member 
intersects with said loop plane. 
37. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 32 to 36 wherein the 
leader extraction means is disposed to be driven in use in its rotational 
displacement by a stepper motor. 
38. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 31 to 37 wherein said 
final guide member is reciprocatively displaceable linearly upon the axis 
of its rotation. 
39. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 31 to 38 wherein said 
final guide member forms a tacho wheel of a tachometric tape transport 
speed monitor interfaced for the speed control purposes of the apparatus 
with said power means. 
40. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 39 wherein the 
splicing surface is constructed as a vacuum shoe for tape retention 
purposes. 
41. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 40 wherein the 
splicing surface is the floor of a groove depressed into the surface of a 
fixed splicing block and extending in the direction of the tape winding 
path. 
42. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 41 wherein the 
splicing surface is defined upon a splicing block formed with a cutter 
groove traversing the part of the tape winding path coincident with the 
splicing surface. 
43. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 42 wherein a 
leader tape retaining member is provided to retain the portion of said 
leader tape issuing from said cassette and disposed upstream of said 
cutting location on said splicing surface. 
44. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 43 wherein said leader tape 
retaining member is displaceable between a first position in which it is 
in use disposed beneath the non-extracted leader tape loop of the leader 
tape of the zero cassette and a second position in-which it has been 
removed from the locus of the cassette to assist in carrying the leader 
tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing surface of said 
splicing station. 
45. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 43 or Embodiment 44 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is disposed for displacement from the locus 
of the splicing surface to carry its charge of upstream leader tape from 
said tape path after operation of said tape cutting means to sever the 
leader tape into separate upstream and downstream leader tape portions and 
for reciprocal displacement to restore said upstream leader tape portion 
to said tape path at said splicing surface at termination of use tape 
winding into said cassette, preparative to splicing of the leading end of 
said upstream leader tape portion to the use tape trailing end disposed 
upon said splicing surface after operation of said tape cutting means in 
relation to use tape stationary on the splicing surface at said winding 
termination. 
46. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 43 to 45 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member has a surface constructed as a vacuum shoe. 
47. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 43 to 46 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is a cranked elongate member. 
48. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 43 to 47 wherein said 
leader tape retaining means is coupled to power means for driving said 
retaining means in linear reciprocatory displacement. 
49. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 48 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a displaceable elongate member provided with a 
tape securing head. 
50. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 49 wherein said 
changeover means includes a tape securing head which comprises a 
mechanical clasp or a vacuum shoe. 
51. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 50 wherein said mechanical clasp 
comprises a tape carriage surface yieldingly supported by a compressible 
support means which yields resiliently under pressure from a tape length 
manually urged upon said tape carriage surface and jaw means overlying and 
normally in contact with said tape carriage surface and spaced therefrom 
when the tape carriage surface has yielded to form a mouth defined between 
said jaw means and said tape carriage surface, the jaw means comprising at 
least one member having a first mouth-defining face confronting the tape 
carriage surface but leaving part thereof exposed so as to provide an 
access to said tape carriage surface for said tape, said access 
accommodating the tape width only after its concurvature on a longitudinal 
tape axis, and a second face directed away from the tape carriage surface 
and configured to deform said tape to provide said concurvature with said 
manual urging of the tape length on said tape carriage surface. 
52. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 50 or Embodiment 51 wherein said 
displaceable elongate member is a cranked arm mounted for rotation through 
an arc between a first position in which said tape securing head and said 
arm are outside the tape winding path for manual provision to said head of 
a leading end of use tape emanating from a first of use tape stores and a 
second position in which said head is adjacent said splicing station and 
use tape carried by said head is disposed on said splicing surface for 
release thereto by said head. 
53. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 29 to 52 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a member displaceable by rotation between a 
tape pick-up location outside the tape winding path and a tape-release 
position in which said member addresses the tape splicing surface, the 
member being displaceable perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the 
aforesaid displacement between a lockable position in which the member can 
be locked in said tape pick-up position and the aforesaid rotational 
displacement is prevented and a position in which the member is free to 
suffer said displacement by rotation to said tape-release position. 
54. A method of loading tape into cassettes which method comprises securing 
a leading end of use tape from a first use tape store to changeover means 
of a tape winding apparatus, the securing of said tape being effected at a 
tape pick-up station of the apparatus downstream of said first use tape 
store, performing tape loading by operating the changeover means to carry 
the use tape to a splicing surface of the apparatus, whilst retaining the 
use tape on said splicing surface optionally cutting the tape across its 
lateral dimension to form separate upstream and downstream portions of use 
tape, charging a zero cassette to said apparatus subsequent to said 
cutting or at a previous juncture, extracting a loop of leader tape from 
said cassette and disposing said leader tape of said loop on the splicing 
surface, the changeover means being operated to restore said changeover 
means to the tape pickup station, whilst retaining the leader tape on the 
splicing surface either cutting the leader tape across its lateral 
dimension in overlying relationship with the upstream portion of use tape 
and with the leader tape cut corresponding to the position of the cut end 
of the upstream portion of use tape whereby separate upstream and 
downstream portions of said leader tape are formed, or cutting the use 
tape and overlying leader tape together whereby both are cut into separate 
upstream and downstream portions, disposing the upstream leader tape 
portion on a leader tape retainer and removing said upstream leader tape 
portion from the splicing surface by displacement of said leader tape 
retainer, splicing the so exposed upstream portion of use tape on the 
splicing surface to the downstream portion of leader tape on the splicing 
surface, and winding use tape into the cassette, the downstream portion of 
said use tape being removed from the splicing surface, and at a 
post-winding juncture restoring the use tape to the splicing surface, 
cutting the use tape thereon, the upstream leader tape portion being 
brought into end-to-end abutment on the splicing surface with the trailing 
end of the so-cut use tape, splicing together the abutting ends and 
discharging the loaded cassette preparative to loading a further cassette, 
whilst winding of said cassette or a further cassette takes place a 
leading end of use tape from a second use tape store being secured to said 
changeover means at said tape pick-up station preparative to repeating the 
aforesaid tape loading using the second use tape store once the first use 
tape store is exhausted or has reached a predetermined reduction. 
55. A mechanical clasp assembly for clasping magnetic tape or print tape in 
a tape handling operation, the assembly comprising an arm and a mechanical 
clasp carried by the arm and comprising a tape carriage surface yieldingly 
supported by a compressible support means which yields resiliently under 
pressure from a tape length manually urged upon said tape carriage surface 
and jaw means overlying and normally in contact with said tape carriage 
surface and spaced therefrom when the tape carriage surface has yielded to 
form a mouth defined between said jaw means and said tape carriage 
surface, the jaw means comprising at least one member having a first 
mouth-defining face confronting the tape carriage surface but leaving part 
thereof exposed so as to provide an access to said tape carriage surface 
for said tape, said access accommodating the tape width only after its 
concurvature on a longitudinal tape axis, and a second face directed away 
from the tape carriage surface and configured to deform said tape to 
provide said concurvature with said manual urging of the tape length on 
said tape carriage surface. 
56. A tape winding apparatus comprising a use tape supply station, a tape 
splicing station disposed so as in use to receive on a tape splicing 
surface thereof use tape wound from the use tape supply station in use, a 
cassette holding station disposed so as in use to receive on a hub of a 
cassette disposed at said cassette holding station tape wound from said 
tape splicing station, tape winding power means for driving said cassette 
hub to effect said winding of said tape, a tachometric tape transport 
speed monitor including a tacho wheel and interfaced for the speed control 
purposes of the apparatus with said power means, a plurality of tape 
guides defining with said splicing station and said tacho wheel a tape 
winding path from said tape supply station to said cassette hub, the 
apparatus including leader extraction means having a leader extraction 
member displaceable between a first position in which it is disposed 
beneath the non-extracted leader tape of the leader tape loop of a zero 
cassette charged to said cassette holding station and a second position in 
which it has been removed from the locus of the cassette to carry a leader 
tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing surface of said 
splicing station, said tacho wheel being disposed in the tape winding path 
downstream of said splicing station, tape cutting means disposed at said 
splicing station and addressing a cutting location at which tape is 
disposed on the splicing surface in use and tape splicing means for 
splicing tape ends together upon said splicing surface. 
57. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 56 wherein said tape supply 
station comprises means for mounting a plurality of separate stores of 
tape. 
58. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 57 wherein means is provided to 
mount a pair of separate magnetic tape stores for sequential use and 
changeover means is provided to introduce to the tape winding path a tape 
supply from a second magnetic tape store once the tape supply from a first 
is exhausted or depleted to a predetermined extent. 
59. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 58 wherein said tape supply 
station is configured to provide a pair of use tape stores in use and 
comprising a pair of tape tension control means, one tape tension control 
means being provided respectively for each tape store of said pair of tape 
stores and disposed to receive tape therefrom in use of the apparatus and 
said changeover means is changeover means disposed downstream of said tape 
tension control means for addressing the output tape of said tape tension 
control means of said use tape stores successively at a tape pick-up 
station downstream of said tape tension control means and outside said 
tape winding path, said changeover means being operable to introduce 
successively to said tape winding path use tape from each of said use tape 
stores by disposition thereof upon said splicing surface by a transfer 
member of said changeover means displaceable between said tape pick-up 
station and said splicing station, said changeover means being operable so 
as in use to address at said pick-up station one such use tape store and 
pick-up use tape therefrom, preparative to introducing said use tape to 
said winding path, during the time the use tape of the other use tape 
store issues to the tape winding path to supply the splicing station and 
the cassette hub. 
60. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 58 or Embodiment 59 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a displaceable elongate member provided with a 
tape securing head. 
61. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 58 to 59 wherein said 
changeover means includes a tape securing head which comprises a 
mechanical clasp or a vacuum shoe. 
62. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 61 wherein said mechanical clasp 
comprises a tape carriage surface yieldingly supported by a compressible 
support means which yields resiliently under pressure from a tape length 
manually urged upon said tape carriage surface and jaw means overlying and 
normally in contact with said tape carriage surface and spaced therefrom 
when the tape carriage surface has yielded to form a mouth defined between 
said jaw means and said tape carriage surface, the jaw means comprising at 
least one member having a first mouth-defining face confronting the tape 
carriage surface but leaving part thereof exposed so as to provide an 
access to said tape carriage surface for said tape, said access 
accommodating the tape width only after its concurvature on a longitudinal 
tape axis, and a second face directed away from the tape carriage surface 
and configured to deform said tape to provide said concurvature with said 
manual urging of the tape length on said tape carriage surface. 
63. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 61 or Embodiment 62 wherein said 
displaceable elongate member is a cranked arm mounted for rotation through 
an arc between a first position in which said tape securing head and said 
arm are outside the tape winding path for manual provision to said head of 
a leading end of use tape emanating from a first of use tape stores and a 
second position in which said head is adjacent said splicing station and 
use tape carried by said head is disposed on said splicing surface for 
release thereto by said head. 
64. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 58 to 63 wherein said 
changeover means comprises a member displaceable by rotation between a 
tape pick-up location outside the tape winding path and a tape-release 
position in which said member addresses the tape splicing surface, the 
member being displaceable perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the 
aforesaid displacement between a lockable position in which the member can 
be locked in said tape pick-up position and the aforesaid rotational 
displacement is prevented and a position in which the member is free to 
suffer said displacement by rotation to said tape-release position. 
65. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 64 wherein said 
extraction means is disposed for rotation displacement whereby the leader 
tape loop is carried to the splicing surface in said first phase of 
reciprocation and transferred to said final guide member in said second 
phase of reciprocation. 
66. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 65 wherein said extraction member 
is disposed for said rotational displacement about said final guide 
member. 
67. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 66 wherein said leader extraction 
means is disposed for said rotational displacement about the axis of 
rotation of said final guide member. 
68. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 65 to 67 wherein said 
leader extraction means comprises an eccentric mounted for said rotational 
displacement and provided with a tape extraction element forming said 
leader extraction member and originating therefrom proximate the extremity 
thereof radially most remote from the axis of rotation of said eccentric 
and serving as said leader extraction member. 
69. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 65 to 68 wherein the 
leader extraction means is rotationally displaceable between stops which 
define the radial positions of the leader extraction member at which first 
the non-extracted leader tape is almost in contact by its underside with 
the leader extraction member and at which secondly the extracted leader 
tape loop carried by said leader extraction member defines a loop plane 
which is interfacially juxtaposed to the final guide member such that the 
extrapolated axis of rotation of said final guide member and an imaginary 
cylinder having the same axis and the diameter of said final guide member 
intersects with said loop plane. 
70. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 65 to 69 wherein the 
leader extraction means is disposed to be driven in use in its rotational 
displacement by a stepper motor. 
71. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 70 wherein said 
final guide member is reciprocatively displaceable linearly upon the axis 
of its rotation. 
72. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 71 and 
comprising a use tape supply station, a tape splicing station disposed so 
as in use to receive on a tape splicing surface thereof use tape wound 
from the use tape supply station in use, a cassette holding station 
disposed so as in use to receive on a hub of a cassette disposed at said 
cassette holding station, tape wound from said tape splicing station, tape 
winding power means for driving said cassette hub to effect said winding 
of said tape, and a plurality of tape guides defining with said splicing 
station a tape winding path from said use tape supply station to said 
cassette hub, said plurality of tape guides including a final guide 
assembly for issuing tape to said cassette hub in winding of use tape from 
the use tape supply by the apparatus, said final guide assembly comprising 
leader extraction means comprising a leader extraction member and a final 
guide member, the leader extraction member having a rest position in which 
said member is disposed to penetrate beneath the non-extracted leader tape 
of the leader tape loop of a zero cassette charged to said cassette 
holding station and being mounted and arranged for two phases of 
reciprocatory displacement in the plane of said loop so that said leader 
extraction member can be removed from the locus of said cassette in a 
first phase of reciprocation to carry the leader tape loop externally from 
the cassette to said splicing surface of said splicing station and to the 
locus of said final guide member for release of said extracted tape loop 
and transfer thereof to said final guide member by said leader extraction 
member in a second phase of said reciprocatory displacement of said leader 
extraction member, said final guide member being displaceable laterally 
relative to the tape reciprocally between a position in and a position 
outside the plane of said loop at a final tape guiding location of the 
tape winding path at which said final guide member is otherwise fixed for 
rotation immediately upstream of and adjacent to the cassette input mouth, 
and said final guide member comprising a circularly cylindrical tape guide 
contact element which is mounted for rotation responsive to contact of its 
cylindrical surface in use by mobile tape winding to said driven cassette 
hub and guided by said tape guide contact element and which has a diameter 
sized too large to be accommodated beneath the aforesaid non-extracted 
leader tape of said cassette. 
73. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 72 wherein said final guide 
member forms the tacho wheel of the tachometric tape transport speed 
monitor. 
74. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 73 wherein the 
splicing surface is constructed as a vacuum shoe for tape retention 
purposes. 
75. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 74 wherein the 
splicing surface is the floor of a groove depressed into the surface of a 
fixed splicing block and extending in the direction of the tape winding 
path. 
76. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 75 wherein the 
splicing surface is defined upon a splicing block formed with a cutter 
groove traversing the part of the tape winding path coincident with the 
splicing surface. 
77. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 56 to 76 wherein a 
leader tape retaining member is provided to retain the portion of said 
leader tape issuing from said cassette and disposed upstream of said 
cutting location on said splicing surface. 
78. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 77 wherein said leader tape 
retaining member is displaceable between a first position in which it is 
in use disposed beneath the non-extracted leader tape loop of the leader 
tape of the zero cassette and a second position in which it has been 
removed from the locus of the cassette to assist in carrying the leader 
tape loop externally of the cassette to said splicing surface of said 
splicing station. 
79. An apparatus as defined in Embodiment 77 or Embodiment 78 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is disposed for displacement from the locus 
of the splicing surface to carry its charge of upstream leader tape from 
said tape path after operation of said tape cutting means to sever the 
leader tape into separate upstream and downstream leader tape portions and 
for reciprocal displacement to restore said upstream leader tape portion 
to said tape path at said splicing surface at termination of use tape 
winding into said cassette, preparative to splicing of the leading end of 
said upstream leader tape portion to the use tape trailing end disposed 
upon said splicing surface after operation of said tape cutting means in 
relation to use tape stationary on the splicing surface at said winding 
termination. 
80. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 77 to 79 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member has a surface constructed as a vacuum shoe. 
81. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 77 to 79 wherein said 
leader tape retaining member is a cranked elongate member. 
82. An apparatus as defined in any one of Embodiments 77 to 79 wherein said 
leader tape retaining means is coupled to power means for driving said 
retaining means in linear reciprocatory displacement. 
83. A method of winding use tape into cassettes which method comprises 
winding use tape from a supply to a splicing station, cutting the tape on 
a splicing surface at said splicing station, splicing the cut upstream use 
tape leading end to the trailing end of a cut downstream portion of leader 
tape emanating from the wind-in mouth of a cassette downstream of said 
splicing station, winding the leader tape and spliced use tape into the 
cassette, and post-winding cutting the use tape on said splicing surface 
and splicing the resulting trailing end to the leading end of an upstream 
portion of leader tape emanating from the other cassette mouth and 
previously forming an unbroken loop of leader tape between the cassette 
hubs with said leader tape downstream portion, characterized in that 
winding is effected by means of electrical motive power means controlled b 
speed control means interfaced with a tachometric tape speed monitoring 
device having a tacho wheel in the tape winding path addressing the motion 
of tape downstream of the splicing station and upstream of the cassette 
wind-in mouth.