The present invention generally relates to adapters for miniature type tape cassettes which are smaller than type tape cassettes, which adapters each accommodate therein a miniature type tape cassette and are loaded into and used with standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatuses. The present invention more particularly relates to an adapter for a miniature type tape cassette, which adapter comprises means for drawing a tape out of the miniature type tape cassette which is accommodated within the adapter and forming a predetermined tape path within an adapter case.
Presently, video signal recording and/or reproducing apparatuses using tape cassettes are reduced to practical use on the world-wide basis. As types of these recording and/or reproducing apparatuses using tape cassettes, two or three standardized types of apparatuses presently exist world-widely. There is no interchangeability between apparatuses of different standards, however, the interchangeability exists between apparatuses adopting the same standard. Accordingly, a tape cassette recorded by one recording and/or reproducing apparatus can be reproduced by another recording and/or reproducing apparatus of the same standard. Hence, in order to ensure the interchangeability between different recording and/or reproducing apparatuses manufactured by different manufacturers so as to perform recording and/or reproduction, a standardization is established with respect to formats of the tape cassette and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus. That is, the above formats are standardized for each standard, and a standard type tape cassette and a standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus are respectively manufactured and marketed under each standard.
Recently, a problem of much importance involves the realization in downsizing the recording and/or reproducing apparatus main body. This is to develop a more compact portable type recording and/or reproducing apparatus, and, for example, to realize such an equipment that a recording apparatus is unitarily built into a television camera.
Accordingly, in order to downsize the recording and/or reproducing apparatus without changing the formats of the tape cassette and the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a miniature type tape cassette was proposed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 322,174 now abandoned entitled "MINIATURE TYPE TAPE CASSETTE" filed Nov. 17, 1981 in which the assignee is the same as that of the present application. This type of a miniature type tape cassette was also proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 340,106 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,505 filed Jan. 18, 1982 and Ser. No. 392,157 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,876 filed June 25, 1982, in which the assignee is also the same as that of the present application. The proposed miniature tape cassette has a size smaller than the standard type tape cassette, and is loaded independently into a recording and/or reproducing apparatus of a type different from the standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus which carried out recording and reproduction when loaded with the standard type tape cassette.
Further, an adapter for a miniature type tape cassette was proposed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 322,767 entitled "ADAPTER FOR A MINIATURE TYPE TAPE CASSETTE" filed Nov. 19, 1981 in which the assignee is the same as that of the present application. This type of an adapter was also proposed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 340,105 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,850 filed Jan. 18, 1982, Ser. No. 340,097 now abandoned filed Jan. 18, 1982, and Ser. No. 473,854 filed Mar. 9, 1983, in which the assignee is also the same as that of the present application. The proposed adapter has an external form and size identical to the standard type tape cassette. This proposed adapter is designed so as to accommodate the miniature type tape cassette therein, and is loaded into the standard type recording and/or reproducing apparatus in a state where a tape is drawn out of a cassette case of the miniature type tape cassette to form a predetermined tape path within the adapter.
In addition, an improved version of the above proposed adapter was proposed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 495,808 entitled "ADAPTER FOR A MINIATURE TYPE TAPE CASSETTE" filed May 18, 1983.
According to this improved version of the proposed adapter, a tape draw-out mechanism for drawing the tape out of the cassette and forming a predetermined tape path within the adapter, is operative even when a top cover which covers the accommodated miniature type tape cassette is open. Moreover, the top cover can be opened even before all of the tape forming the predetermined tape path is recovered within the cassette, which means that it is possible to remove the accommodated cassette from the adapter in this state. Accordingly, when the top cover of the adapter is open and the cassette is simply accommodated within the adapter with the front lid of the cassette still closed, and an attempt is made to draw the tape out of the accommodated cassette in this state, the tape and the tape draw-out mechanism may become damaged. Further, when the tape is drawn out of the cassette or the tape is not completely recovered within the cassette, and the top cover of the adapter is opened in this state, the accommodated cassette may be erroneously removed from the adapter. In this case, the tape will become damaged by such an erroneous removal of the accommodated cassette.
Moreover, the tape draw-out mechanism is operative even in a state where a cassette is not accommodated within the adapter. Thus, if the user erroneously leaves this tape draw-out mechanism in a state operated halfway, it will be impossible to accommodate the cassette within this adapter because poles of the tape draw-out mechanism will interfere. If an attempt is made to forcibly accommodate the cassette within this adapter, the tape or the cassette case may become damaged.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds