Bell + Howell Company

Datatape Incorporated

Henry M Martija

Frederic F Grant

John P Grant

Edward K Shum

Leon E Head

George E Mosher

A helical scan magnetic tape recorder includes tape threading and guiding apparatus for threading magnetic tape from a two reel cassette about a rotary magnetic head scanner and for tensioning the tape during tape transport. The threading and guiding apparatus includes supply and take-up compliance elements which are mounted for movement between (1) cassette loading positions behind a tape span in a magnetic tape cassette; (2) tape vacuum loading positions in which the elements draw tape out of the cassette and partially contact it with the rotary head scanner; and (3) operating positions in which the elements draw tape around the respective supply and take-up capstans and tension the tape during tape transport past the rotary head scanner.

Magnetic tape threading and compliance element guiding apparatus

In a magnetic tape recording/reproducing apparatus, magnetic tape is transported between supply and take-up reels which include reel brake assemblies which are simple, reliable and compact. The brake assembly includes a linear stepper motor and a brake pad mounted on a linearly actuated shaft of the stepper motor. Each reel is mounted on a hub driven by a belt and pulley arrangement. Each reel brake assembly is mounted adjacent the pulley with the motor shaft extending radially relative to the pulley. Upon actuation of the linear stepper motor, the motor shaft is moved radially to engage the brake pad with the pulley. In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic tape recording/reproducing apparatus includes coaxial reels which are driven by coaxially mounted pulleys having individual brake assemblies.

Reel brake assembly actuated by linear stepper motor

A tape guide has a tape supporting surface extending across a major surface of an advancing tape at a supporting region extending from a tape touchdown region to a tape liftoff region. The tape guide stresses the advancing tape with the tape supporting surface uniformly across the tape and at both tape edges. A reference surface extends at an acute angle to the supporting surface between and exclusive of the tape touchdown and liftoff regions in order to position the advancing tape at one of its tape edges.

Tape guiding method and apparatus

A metallic mass is placed into frictional engagement with a transducer head structure. Vibrations of such transducer head structure are dampened by relative displacement between the metallic mass and frictionally engaged transducer head structure. Plastic deformation of the metallic mass frictionally engaging the transducer head structure may also be employed to dampen vibrations. The metallic mass may be pressed into frictional engagement with the transducer head structure, and vibrations from the frictionally engaged transducer head structure may be transmitted through the metallic mass to the viscoelastic polymeric layer to set up shearing strains in that layer causing the mass to dampen vibrations of the transducer head structure by lagging oscillation in frictional engagement with that transducer head structure.

Transducer head vibration dampening

Methods and apparatus for driving an information carrier tape use spaced distinct first and second capstans for arranging the tape in a U-shaped tape path having a pair of leg portions spaced from each other by the first capstan and extending to the second capstan and having a bight portion formed by the second capstan and interconnecting the leg portions. In one type of embodiments, the tape is driven with the first capstan and the tape is also driven with the second capstan independently of the first capstan. In another line of embodiments, one of the first and second capstans is electrically slaved to the other capstan.

Methods and apparatus for driving information carrier tape

An apparatus for mounting a hollow cylindrical member, such as a magnetic tape reel hub, has an arbor and a chuck longitudinally slidable on such arbor. The chuck includes an expansible device for releasably retaining the hollow cylindrical member and a pair of tensioning members having meshing threads and being coupled to the expansible device for releasably retaining the hollow cylindrical member. A driving member assembly having a pair of driving members with meshing threads for varying the position of the chuck along the arbor is coupled to the arbor and chuck for adjusting the position of the chuck to an axial dimension of the hollow cylindrical member. The tensioning members of the chuck may be arrestable relative to each other to inhibit unintended loosening of the chuck from a retained hollow cylindrical member.

Growing community of inventors

La Verne, CA, United States of America

Henry M Martija