TAPE TRANSPORT

Abstract: In an operating apparatus a system for transporting flat elongated flexible element (61) such as sound tape, movie film, audio-video tape, t-v tape and the like with smooth face and back. The novel feature of the subject system is the synchronous driving by an endless non-metallic-clad sprocket belt (20) trained over two identical sprocket wheels (11a, 12a) fitted one each to the drive shafts (11b, 12b) of the two identical hence interchangeable wheels (11, 12) for supply reel and for take-up reeling. By synchronous axisymmetrical rotation of the supply and take-up wheels (11, 12) the tape (61) is transported in steady continuously evenly set pace, without tension/lag/jerk. In the system the continuous length of tape (61) payed out from the supply wheel (11) is transported to the take-up wheel (12) and stacked in the take-up wheel (12) every round in the corresponding axisymmetrical position to that displaced in the supply wheel (11).

Description: TAPE TRANSPORT Description: Two identical hence interchangeable wheels, each consisting of a disk with air openings and detachable anchorage 2 moore at iι2a for anchoring the head end 61 a of a continuous length of tape; a fixed hub 30; and a clockwork spring for a core 16 (not shown) with control means for expansion and contraction fitted on hub 30 and an anchoring means hh (not shown) fixed on the core 16 for anchoring tail end 61b (not shown) of a tape; and each wheel with a detachable cover, shown as cover 71 with rim l for a circular wall, air holes 73, and with a tongue 72 with spring means insertable into hub 30 of wheels 11/1 ; are shown as take-up wheel 11, and supply wheel 12. Supply wheel 12 has a full reel of continuous length of tape 61 stacked face up clockwise, with the head end 61a anchored at remov¬ able anchorage k-2 moored at it2a. The processing and performance center 'Ac- of apparatus 'A' is located above the level of the equa¬ tor of wheel 12, and directly in horizontal center line ~ alignment with wheel 12. Wheel 11 is set laterally parallel to the right look- forward of center 'Ac' and at a level above the processing and per¬ orming center 'Ac' . To set up the take-up wheel to reel, anchorage ij.2 with tape head end 61a is taken off the mooring iι2a of wheel 12, and the tape 61 is threaded through the processing and performance center 'Ac' and the Description (contd) — Tape Transport and the tape head end 61a anchored at lι2a of wheel 11. The supply wheel 12 rotates counter-clockwise and in the .second revolution the round of continuous length of tape 61 at wheel 11 is deflected at anchorage 1*2, face up to the back of the first round to be reeled along by said take-up wheel. Tape 61 being payedout by supply wheel 12 has been taken up at the 12 to .3 o'clock quadrant 11* and reeled along by rotating wheel 11, in step with the overall synchronous rotation, and bounded by the fixed round plate 33. The wheel 11 is rotating counter-clockwise reeling along inverted piggy-back fashion incoming rounds of tape 61 and stacking each round in the course of the wheel rotating with the reeled in preceding rounds of tape in the same direction as tape 61 is payed out. The tape being reeled in has face to the back of the preceding rounds in parallel synchron- ous speed thus making continuing stacking through mutual attraction to adhesion of smooth surfaces. The two wheels 11 and 12 are driven by a non-metallic-clad end¬ less sprocket belt 20 trained over and in mesh with the two identical sprocket wheels 11a and 12a fixed to shafts 11b and 12b of wheels 11 and 12 respectively. An extension 11c to the shafts 11a is hooked on to the motive power in the apparatus. When take-up wheel 11 has reeled in the continuous length of tape 61 from the supply wheel 12, the tape tail end 61b is anchored in the core 16 to fixed anchorage hht and the take-up wheel 11 would have the reel compacted, by core 16 as the supply wheel 12. Detachable rack $0 disposed on the apparatus 'A' supports a fixed round plate 33 for wheel 11 with 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant 11* cut off, and a separate detachable round plate 32 fitted on wheel 12. These round plates 33 and 32 serve as guide wall placed against the reels but not to a bind, to keep the reeling from swaying. Another mode of power pack is proving a non-metallic idle gear wheel 20a in place of the non-metallic-clad endless sprocket wheel 20, s shown in Figure III in the drawing. The non-metallic idle gear Description (contd) — Tape Transport wheel 20a is in the middle with identical smaller gear wheels 11x and 12x on each side. The remaining of the power train is as des- dribed hitherto except that identical sprocket wheels 11a and 12a are substituted with identical gear wheels 11x and 12x in mesh with the idle gear wheel 20a.

Claims: Tape Transport ( U S A serial No. 30,230 filed Apr 16 1979) Inventor: Timothy Tung Jen Young Claims: Claim 1. For operation in an apparatus a tape transport system for processing and performing flat elongated flexible element, such as sound tape, movie film,audio-video tape, t-v tape and the like, with smooth face and backj the system comprising two identical hence interchangeable wheels one for the supply reel, the other for the take-up reeling; each wheel consists of a disk with air openings and a removable anchorage moored thereon for anchoring the head end of a continuous length of a tape, and fixed with a hub keyed to and de¬ tachable from a drive shaft for rotation; and spiraling around the hub a clock-work spring controllably expandable and contractable for a core with means for anchoring thereto the end of a tape; and a re¬ movable cover for each wheel; a power pack consisting of a non- metallic-clad endless sprocket belt trained over two identical sprocket wheels fitted to the shafts respectively of the supply wheel and the take-up wheel, and with an extension of the shaft of the said supply wheel hooked up with the motive power of the apparatus; a round plate with cut-off 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant as guide wall for the take-up wheel is supported on a rack, and a separate detachable round plate fitted on the supply wheel, to keep the reels of tape from swaying; characterized by synchronous axisymmetrical rotation in the same direction of the supply wheel paying out the tape threaded through the processing and performance center of the apparatus for operation and the take-up wheel reeling in the payed-out continuous length of a tape and stacking the rounds every one in position axisymmetrically corresponding to every particular one round displaced in the supply wheel. Claim 2. In combination as in claim 1 the head end of a contin¬ uous length of tape is taken up from the anchorage which is also taken off from the mooring in the supply wheel and threaded through Tape Transport — Claims (contd) the processing and performance center and is anchored in the take-up wheel at the anchorage moored at the take-up wheel and the cynchron- ous rotation of the take-up wheel reels in the continuous length of a tape each round corresponding to the immediately displaced in the supply wheel. Claim 3. In combination as in claim 2 the synchronous ax±sym- metrical rotation of the supply and the take-up wheels in transport¬ ing the tape through the processing and performance center follows that in processing and in performing the selfsame constant angular displacement distance speed, that is the peripheral speed, obtains every different particular round, makes the processing and perform¬ ing compatible. Claim h» In combination as in claim 2, the tape by the second round is bounded by the anchorage face up to the back of the first round, and the surface being smooth and the rounds of tape proceed¬ ing synchronously simultaneously in the same direction, the rounds of the continuous length of tape adhere to stack. Claim « In combination as in claim 1 the fixed round plate for the take-up wheel has the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant cut off for open entry area of the tape being payed out to parallel follow and to reel in in step with the rotating take-up wheel and with each round of the continuous length of tape face to back of the preceding round to stack. Claim 6. In combination as in claim 2 the take-up wheel being laterally parallel to the right from the processing and performance center affords the continuous length of tape to parallel follow in at the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant in step with the rotating wheel to come face to back to the preceding round to stack. Claim 7. In combination as in claim __> the take-up wheel being at a level above the equator of the supply wheel and above the process¬ ing and performance center affords the continuous length of the tape being reeled in from the paying out by the supply wheel at the point of geostationary at the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant of the rotating take- up wheel, with no forced bounded passage of the tape. Tapt; Transport — claims (contd) Claim 8. In combination as in claim 1 the identical supply wheel and the take-up wheel being driven by a non-metallic-clad endless sprocket belt trained over the identical sprocket wheels 5 fitted to each of the said supply and take-up wheels, can be driven clockwise/counter-clockwise axisymmetrically, and synchronously reeling the continuous length of tape taut without stress/lag/jerk. Claim 9. In combination as in claim 8 the identical supply wheel and the take-up wheel being driven by a non-metallic-clad 10 endless sprocket belt trained over the identical sprocket wheels fitted to each of the said supply and take-up wheels, rotating counter-clockwise the supply wheel pays out and the take-up wheel takes up the tape and stack; rotating clockwise the take-up wheel becomes the supply wheel paying out the tape and the supply wheel 15 becomes the take-up wheel taking up the tape to stack. Claim 10. In combination as in claim 8 the rotation of the wheels reeling in and paying out the continuous length of the tape in rounds being completely regulated by the driving non-metallic-clad endless sprocket belt trained over the identical sprocket wheels fixed to the 20 supply wheel and the take-up wheel, framing of the tape is feasible without perforation for sprockets on the tape itself. Claim 11. In combination as in claim 8 the continuous length of tape being transported by synchronous axisymmetrical rotation of the identical supply wheel and the take-up wheel driven by a non-metallic- 25 clad endless sprocket belt trained over the identical sprocket wheels fitted to each of the said supply and take-up wheels, minimizes rubbing to wear and tear the tape. Claim 12. In combination as in claim 8 the synchronous rotation of the supply and the take-up wheels both clockwise and counter-clock- 30 wise makes it possible to fix up a digital counter of revolutions to register the numerical order and number of revolutions. Claim 13. In combination as in claim 1 the two plain fixed round plates as guide walls with air openingsare placed next to but not in . eq * ' ? Tape Transport — Claims (contd) bind to the reels in the wheels to keep the reeling from sways, and additionally keeps the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant for a geostationary point at the take-up wheel for the continuous length of tape being reeled in. Claim lit. In combination as in claim 1 the core around the hub of the wheel by controllable expansion and contraction compacts the reeling of the continuous length of tape in the take-up wheel for a supply wheel. Claim 1 » The identical supply wheel and the take-up wheel being detachable, with the detachable cover put on it is made a container. Claim 16. In combination as in claim 8 the identical supply wheel and the take-up wheel being driven by a non-metallic-clad end¬ less sprocket belt trained over the identical sprocket wheels fitted to each of said supply and take-up wheel, creates no angular distortion in tape transport operation of the apparatus in awkward positions. Claim 17• In the power pack the use of a non-metallic-clad end¬ less sprocket b-elt trained over two identical sprockets fixed res¬ pectively to the supply wheel and the take-up wheel minimizes kink and rigidity usually found in metallic sprocket chain trained over sprocket wheels, and incidentally less noise in the ninning of the apparatus.

Inventors: YOUNG T
Applicants: YOUNG T
Application year: 1980
Main classification: G11B15
IPC codes: G03B1, G11B15