Tape cartridge having a shutter with self locking function

Abstract

A tape containing cartridge has a front wall with a transducer-receiving opening and a side wall has a capstan-receiving opening. A flexible sliding shutter is disposed in a shutter guide extending across said openings inside the cartridge. The flexible shutter can be slid between an open position where both openings are exposed and a closed position where both openings are covered for protecting a tape in the cartridge. The flexible sliding shutter has a flexible bifurcated detent such that in a closed position of the shutter the detent is positioned along a second side wall closer to the front wall while in the open position of the shutter it is positioned along the second side wall closer to the back wall. The bifurcated detent has pawls at its bifurcated end which, in the closed position of the shutter, engage the guide locking the shutter closed. To play the tape, the tape cartridge is inserted into a cartridge housing of a tape cartridge player with the front wall being a leading plane. A shutter opening member of the player engages the bifurcated detent on the shutter, flexes the free bifurcated ends inwards to unlock the shutter for sliding to the open position. As the cartridge is being removed from a player, a shutter closing member on the player moves the shutter to a closed position.