GB2209426A

GB2209426A - Cassette mechanism cleaner

Info

Publication number: GB2209426A
Application number: GB8720766A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Piers Harry Victor Garner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-09-04
Filing date: 1987-09-04
Publication date: 1989-05-10
Also published as: GB8720766D0

Abstract

A cleaner for the erase/playback/record head or heads of a tape cassette player/recorder has a cassette shaped casing 10 which can be inserted into the player/recorder. It has a wheel 11, driven by the drive spindle, a rotatable wheel 13, guide rollers 16, 17 and an endless loop of absorbent cleaning ribbon 15 extending in contact with the wheels 11, 13 and guide rollers 16, 17 so as to be driven by wheel 11 and which in use passes over and cleans the head or heads. An additional loop of absorbent cleaning tape 21 is provided for cleaning the capstan and pinch roller, the tape 21 being manually indexed by an indexing wheel 22 and held in tension by a pressure arm 23 having a resilient bar 25. <IMAGE>

Description

Cassette mechanism cleaner This invention relates to a cleaner for cassette players.

The parts of a cassette player with which the magnetic tape comes into contact need cleaning periodically. In a conventional player these parts are the erase head, the record/playback head, the capstan and the pinch roller. In an auto-reverse machine the erase head is replaced by an additional capstan and pinch roller.

At present there are basically two types of cleaner available. One type works like a conventional cassette tape with the magnetic tape replaced by a mildly abrasive tape, and has the major disadvantage that it does not clean the capstan or pinch roller. The second type utilises brushes or felt pads which, although more effective than the tape type, suffers from the disadvantages that in most cases it does not clean the erase head, and that the brushes or pads need to be changed frequently in order to clean effectively.

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaner for cassette player mechanism comprising a body in the external form of a compact audio cassette containing an endless loop of absorbent cleaning ribbon driven in such a way by the drive spindle of the cassette player,that it passes over, and thereby cleans, the head (or heads) of the machine and, in the case of a conventional machine an additional loop of absorbent cleaning material which is positioned and held in such a way that it presses against, and thereby cleans, the rotating capstan and pinch roller ( or in the case of an auto-reverse machine, two additional loops of absorbent cleaning material each positioned to clean one of the sets of capstan and pinch roller ), this additional loop (or loops) being fixed in the body in such a way that it can be advanced manually.

Two spe#ific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1 shows the internal arrangement of the cleaner for a conventional cassette player; and Figure 2 shows the internal arrangement of the cleaner for an auto-reverse cassette player.

Referring to figure 1 the body 10 of the cleaner is in the external form of a compact audio cassette. The body contains a primary drive wheel 11, a primary slave wheel 12, a secondary drive wheel 13, a secondary slave wheel 14, an endless loop of cleaning material 15 passing between and gripped by each pair of wheels respectively, various guide rollers 16 & 17, various mouldings 18,19 & 20 attached to the body, an additional loop of cleaning material 21, an indexing wheel 22, and a pressure arm 23 located on a pivot and incorporating a return spring bar 25.

When the cassette player is set in the 'play' mode the drive spindle rotates the drive wheel 11 which, owing to the adjacent positioning of the slave wheel 12, propels the endless loop 15 in the direction shown 26. The movement of the loop in turn causes the secondary drive 13 and slave 14 wheels to rotate. This is important in those machines which have an automatic shut -off device activated by the non-rotation of the feed spindle. The rotation of the secondary drive wheel will prevent any such device being activated.

The loop of cleaning material, which prior to use is moistened with a suitable cleaning solution, is guided by means of various rollers 16 & 17 across the machine's erase head (if fitted) and across the record/playback head. The pull exerted by the pair of primary wheels, and the drag caused by the secondary pair creates enough tension in the loop to keep it in contact with the heads.

The route of the loop around the offset roller 17 means that in the case of a machine fitted with automatic shut-off lever, the latter will not be activated by the tension in the loop.

The secondary cleaning loop 21 passes underneath the pressure arm 23, around a moulding 18 and in between the indexing wheel 22 and the curved moulding 20.

This loop, when the device is not in use, must not obscure the capstan aperture 27 in such a way that it could foul the capstan as it entered the aperture. Similarly it must not protrude out of the pinch roller aperture 28 which could cause it to catch inside the machine.

The pinch roller, on entering the cleaner body comes into contact with the loop and indirectly presses against the curved left hand side of the pressure arm. The pinch roller then makes contact with the capstan, the rotation of which is transferred to the pinch roller. The length of the pressure arm is such that its left hand end presses the loop against the capstan, without the loop being trapped between the capstan and pinch roller. Thus the cleaning loop, which prior to use is moistened with a suitable cleaning solution, presses against the capstan and pinch roller, both of which are rotating against the stationary loop. When the machine is stopped, the spring bar 25 incorporated in the pressure arm moulding causes the latter to return to its original position.When the pinch roller presses against the left hand end of the pressure arm, the central pivot 24 produces a reciprocal movement in the right hand end of the pressure arm, which maintains the tension on the cleaning loop, and thus prevents it from going slack.

The curved moulding 20 is positioned to press the loop against the spikes of the indexing wheel 22 so that when the latter is rotated, the loop moves with it. Apertures in the top and bottom halves of the body (not shown) give access to the large diameter centre hub of the wheel, which can be gripped top and bottom, and rotated when the part of the loop visible through the pinch roller aperture has become soiled. A fresh length of the loop can thus be presented to the capstan and pinch roller when the cleaner is next used.

When the entire circumference of the loop has become soiled the cleaner should be replaced.

Figure 2 illustrates a cleaner adapted to suit an auto-reverse cassette player.

Corresponding elements of this cleaner with similar functions to those described in the embodiment of figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals but with a suffix "a".

Auto-reverse players differ from conventional players in that they can play either side of a tape without having to remove the tape and then reinsert it inverted. They can do this because they have an additional capstan and pinch roller on the left hand side of the record/playback head in mirror image to the capstan and pinch roller on the right hand side. This necessitates the additional cleaning loop arrangement shown, and obviates the need for the head-cleaning loop 15a to clean the erase head since auto-reverse players are not fitted with a separate erase head.

In each embodiment the body may consist either of two separate mouldings joined together by means of screws or adhesive as is the case with conventional tape cassette bodies or, alternatively, a single piece moulding, the top and bottom halves being held together by some sort of integral hinge or hinges along a common edge, the two halves being held together by means of screws, or adhesive, or some sort of integral catch or catches.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus for use in cleaning the erase/playback/record head or heads of a tape cassette player/recording apparatus, comprising a casing in the form of a tape cassette and containing a first wheel which in use is driven directly or indirectly by a drive spindle of a cassette player/recording apparatus, a second rotatable wheel, a plurality of guide rollers, and an endless loop of absorbent cleaning ribbon extending in contact with said first and second wheels and said guide rollers so as to be driven by said first wheel and which in use passes over and cleans the head or heads of the tape cassette player/recording apparatus.

2. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the endless loop is maintained in contact with each wheel by a respective rotatable secondary wheel.

3. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the first and second wheels are provided with teeth around their periphery which are in meshing engagement with teeth provided on the periphery of each respective secondary wheel.

4. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the casing also contains an additional endless loop of absorbent cleaning ribbon located such that in use of the cleaning apparatus it is in contact with a rotating capstan and pinch roller of a tape casette player/recording apparatus, means being provided for manually advancing said additional loop of absorbent cleaning ribbon.

5. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the casing contains two additional endless loops of absorbent cleaning ribbon.

6. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, in which the or each additional loop extends around a manually rotatable indexing wheel and guide members and extends over a pivotably mounted pressure arm provided with resilient means.

7. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the resilient means comprises a resilient arm provided on said pressure arm which contacts a fixed member provided in said casing.

8. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, in which the or each rotatable indexing wheel is provided with spikes at its periphery and a curved guide member extends partly around the periphery of the wheel to press the endless loop against said spikes.

9. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said casing is formed in two parts which are secured together.

10. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which the two parts are hinged together along a common edge.

11. A cleaning apparatus for use in cleaning the erase/playback/record head or heads of a tape cassette player/recording apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figur 2 of the accompanying drawings.