Ampex Corporation

Ampex Systems Corporation

Data Entry Products, Incorporated

Antoni S Baranski

David N Larkins

David W Thompson

Thomas J Heath

An illuminated dome type switch for use on a control panel having a support base and suitable circuitry for interconnecting various components making up the panel is disclosed herein. This switch includes a light source and a dome, both of which are supported on the base of the panel and the latter of which is resiliently movable between a biased OFF position and a depressed ON position. The switch also includes a keycap having an upper portion through which at least some light can pass, and a bottom outer periphery including a dome actuator. The keycap is supported directly over the light source and to one side of the dome for movement between a biased OFF position so as not to depress the dome and a depressed ON position for causing the actuator to depress the dome in order to move the latter to its on position, whereby to turn on the light source by means of circuitry forming part of the control panel and a suitable source of power and thereby illuminate the upper portion of the keycap. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the bottom outer periphery of the keycap also includes one or more fulcrums to aid the actuator in depressing the dome.

Illuminated dome switch

A carriage mechanism operable with a picker assembly mounted at the face of a bin structure having discrete bin locations within that structure for storing cassettes, the picker assembly moveable along the face of the bin structure and between bin locations, the carriage mechanism operable to extract a cassette from a first bin location, and load it into a cassette-receiving envelope of the carriage mechanism at a selected stored position of the envelope for transport to a second bin location remote from the first location. A bumper element mounted on the carriage mechanism at a fixed reference point is provided to move cassettes out of interferring relation with the carriage mechanism, by sweeping all X-Y coordinates of the face of the bin structure with the picker assembly to displace misaligned cassettes.

Carriage mechanism for automatic extracting and inserting of cassettes

A tape transport capable of receiving cassettes of varying sizes, one at the time for play, includes a cassette indexing mechanism capable of selectively positioning the spindles which engage the reels of an associated cassette at a selected distance corresponding to the reel-center-to-reel-center distance of the cassette. Mis-insertion apparatus associated with the transport provides that any cassette smaller than the cassette receiving opening in the transport will be protected against being improperly inserted into the transport.

Mis-insertion apparatus for a tape transport capable of receiving

Multi-cassette indexing mechanism for a tape transport

A cart spot player having a tape library or bin structure, a series of tape transports in stacked alignment, and a cassette loading/unloading station as part of the bin structure; at one side of the player, input/output ports are provided for the bin structure, the tape transports and the cassette loading/unloading station for operator access; at the opposite side of the player, input/output ports are provided for the bin structure, the tape transports, and the cassette loading/unloading station for access thereto by a cassette transfer assembly moveable to access the player for the transport of a cassette from a first location to a second location remote from the first location and capable of mechanically loading the bin structure with the cassette input from the cassette loading/unloading station. Cassette sensing and cassette positioning means associated with the cassette loading/unloading station facilitate the cassette transfer process.

Cassette bin structure including a bin section for loading and unloading

A door operating mechanism for a magnetic tape cassette, such mechanism including a door latch mechanism provided in the cassette capable of rotating a door assembly of the cassette from the fully closed to the fully opened position and designed to prevent the engagement of the door assembly with the tape run contained within the cassette.

Growing community of inventors

San Carlos, CA, United States of America

Antoni S Baranski