Magnetic tape apparatus

Claim 1

TAPE DRIVE AND STORAGE APPARATUS FOR A MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDING AND REPRODUCING SYSTEM COMPRISING: A TAPE CARTRIDGE COMPRISING TWO TAPE REELS MOUNTED IN TANDEM RELATION WITHIN A CARTIDGE HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF GUIDES WITHIN SAID HOUSING, AND A MAGNETIC TAPE EXTENDING FROM ONE OF SAID REELS AROUND SAID GUIDES TO THE OTHER OF SAID REELS, IN A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED PATH, SAID TAPE REELS BEING MOVABLE BOTH AXIALLY AND LATERALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND EACH HAVING AN AXIAL BORE ALIGNED WITH OPENINGS IN OPPOSED WALLS OF SAID HOUSING, SAID CARTRIDGE HAVING A FIRST AND SECOND OPENINGS ALONG THE BIGHT OF SAID U-SHAPED PATH ACROSS WHICH FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID TAPE EXTEND; A RIGID SUPPORT DECK; TAPE GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED GUIDE POSTS HAVING TAPERED ENDS MOUNTED ON SAID DECK AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREOF FOR A GIVEN LENGTH; A CAPSTAN, HAVING A TAPERED END, MOUNTED ON SAID DECK IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID GUIDE MEANS AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREOF FOR A SIMILAR LENGTH; AND A PAIR OF SPINDLES, HAVING TAPERED ENDS, MOUNTED ON SAID DECK AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY THEREOF FOR A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER LENGTH THAN SAID GUIDE POSTS AND SAID CAPSTAN, THE POSITIONS OF SAID SPINDLES, SAID GUIDE POSTS, AND SAID CAPSTAN CORRESPONDING TO THE POSITIONS OF SAID HOUSING APERTURED, SAID FIRST OPENING, AND SAID SECOND OPENING IN SAID CARTRIDGE, RESPECTIVELY SAID CARTRIDGE BEING INITIALLY MOUNTED IN ACCURATE ALIGNMENT ON SAID SPINDLES BY FIRST ENGAGING SAID SPINDLES IN SAID AXIAL BORES OF SAID TAPE REELS AND SUBSEQUENTLY MOVING SAID CARTRIDGE TOWARD SAID DECK TO ENGAGE SAID GUIDE POSTS, AND SAID CAPSTAN WITH AND FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID TAPE.