Newell Research Corporation

William E Seaman

Chester W Newell

Robert F Pfost

R Fred Pfost

A web guide system wherein misalignment of take-up and supply rolls relative to a reference surface may be compensated without tape distortion by a crown pulley and an adjacent concave web guide. The concave web guide is a fixed, flangeless post about which the web is partially wrapped. The web tends to be self-centering in the concave curved portion of the guide. Tape is fed from a roll to the concave guide and then to the crown pulley of minimum radius which is mounted for axial as well as rotational motion. Pulley axial motion promotes equal edge tension and completes web self-alignment. Final axial alignment without edge pressure is accomplished by fixed tape edge-guides in the region of the head.

Web aligning system

A tape cartridge in which tape is driven from a tape-supply hub onto a tape take-up hub by an endless drive-belt loop engaging the tape-wound hub peripheries. Tape tension variation due to the differences in the radius to the drive-belt center line and the radius to the tape center line is reduced by introducing fixed friction posts in the tape path. One post is located so as to be in constant contact with the tape as it spools off of the supply roll. Another post is located so as to be in constant contact with the tape as it winds onto the take-up roll.

Apparatus for reducing tape tension variations in a peripheral belt

A dual magnetic tape cartridge includes a first reel-to-reel tape wound between two coplaner hubs. A tape loop, extending between the hubs, is guided along a first path and across a tape head access opening. The second tape, in belt form, is guided along a second path and across the tape head access opening at a different level. A drive belt, frictionally engaging first tape peripheries on the hubs, is entrained over portions of a forward drive roller and over portions of two spaced rear idlers. The second tape is entrained over slightly smaller diameter portions of the drive roller and over other portions of the rear idlers to thereby also function as a tensioning belt for the drive belt, causing greater tension in drive belt portions engaging the first tape on the hub acting as the takeup hub than in other belt portions engaging tape on the other hub. Both tapes are mechanically interconnected and are always driven simultaneously since the second tape and drive belt are entrained over common elements and the drive belt drives the first tape. For extended length and recording time the second tape is festooned around a number of other tape guides, additionally, the tapes are mounted so that both are always driven across the tape head access opening in opposite directions. Also described is an associated automatic telephone answering apparatus in which the second, belted tape is the announcement tape and the first reel-to-reel tape is the message tape and in which counter record/playback travel of the tapes is used to reduce cueing time. Corresponding methods for reducing cueing time are described.

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Woodside, CA, United States of America

William E Seaman