Patent ID: 7072139

Claim:
A cartridge locking mechanism for a magnetic tape apparatus for locking a cartridge of a magnetic tape inserted in a cartridge tray against ejection and unlocking said cartridge when a removing operation is performed for said cartridge, comprising: a deck base and a pair of left and right side plates provided uprightly in an opposing relationship to each other on said deck base, wherein said cartridge tray is mounted for forward and backward movement on inner sides of said left and right side plates; a pair of left and right locking levers mounted on said cartridge tray for being rocked in a locking direction by insertion of a cartridge into said cartridge tray to engage with a pair of left and right locking portions of said cartridge to lock said cartridge against ejection; and unlocking means operable when said cartridge is moved so as to be removed from said cartridge tray for rocking said left and right locking levers simultaneously in an unlocking direction, to cancel the engagement of said locking levers with said locking portions of said cartridge.