Abstract: A lightweight portable utility billing apparatus is described for enabling a utility (private or public) meter reader to: (1) read utility meters of a number of utility customers on a selected route and obtain current meter value information from each customer; (2) record the current meter value information; (3) automatically calculate the customer utility charges; (4) print customer bills containing the calculated charges thereon; and (5) deliver the customer bills to the customer. The apparatus includes a single input/output magnetic tape for mass data storage and an electronic alterable read only memory (EAROM) for storing the utility rate tables. The EAROMS may be readily updated by the magnetic tape. A keyboard, display and impact printer are included as I/O devices with respect to a microprocessor controller that is programmed by an instructional control program stored in a nonvolatile read only memory.

Abstract: A magnetic tape cartridge and tape transport apparatus for use therewith, comprising a cartridge housing and a support which is movable inside the housing in all directions in the plane of the latter and on which hubs are rotatably mounted, between which hubs a magnetic tape can be wound to and fro, and further comprising spring elements which urge the support toward the front wall of the housing, which wall is provided with openings, the tape transport apparatus having means for receiving the cartridge housing, for which guide elements and actuatable locking means are provided, and a magnetic head and capstans which can pass through the openings in the front wall, the capstans being urged, by spring pressure, into contact with the rolls of magnetic tape.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for driving a tape relative to a slant track recording scanner or other surface employ an electric motor or a capstan rotating in a first sense of rotation for an advancement of the tape. The advancing tape is tensioned into engagement with the surface. The motor is selectively decelerated to stop the tensioned tape. In practice, this could bind the tape to the particular surface, rendering subsequent tape advancement difficult. The disclosed invention thus slackens the tensioned tape from the surface by rotating the motor or the capstan in a second sense of rotation opposite to the mentioned first sense of rotation upon deceleration of the motor or capstan. The back EMF of the decelerating motor may be utilized for this purpose. The electric motor or capstan is stopped upon slackening of the tape from the surface.

Abstract: In a magnetic disc drive, there is disclosed a method for cleaning the magnetic disc surfaces and the heads. The heads are loaded and caused to fly on the disc surfaces. The spindle motor speed is reduced to a speed where the heads fly at approximately 50% of the normal flying height and the head support structure drive motor is commanded to sweep the heads across the disc surfaces, forward and reverse, for several cycles, to remove any particles down to an elevation that is 50% of the normal flying height. The heads are then positioned over unused tracks on the disc surfaces and the spindle motor speed is reduced to a speed where the heads fly at approximately 25% of the normal flying height so as to scrub off any particles left on the heads. The spindle motor speed is then returned to normal speed and a 25% margin of interference-free operation has been assured.

Abstract: A magnetic head construction includes a substrate of non-electrically conductive material supporting a number of integrated magnetic heads. This assembly is surrounded by a synthetic resin envelope in which a number of strip-shaped current conductors have parts which project from the envelope. The substrate is provided on an end of one of the current conductors. The integrated heads are connected to the conductor parts by means of respective connection conductors.

Abstract: In a helical scan type video tape recorder, a tape guide is moved toward and away from a head drum of the recorder. The tape guide is reciprocated by a slider moved in a groove by a lever loosely connected to the slider. A stop member is provided for preventing the slider from moving beyond a limit, and a detector is provided to detect a position of the slider for controlling the lever. Spring means are connected to the lever for applying a predetermined pressure to the stop member when the slider is stopped by the stop member.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus reproduces a disc-shaped recording medium which is accommodated within a case comprising a jacket which has a space for accommodating the disc-shaped recording medium and an opening for allowing the disc-shaped recording medium to go in and out of the jacket, and a lid member inserted through the opening of the jacket for closing the opening of the jacket, where the lid member has cutouts and ride-over parts.

Abstract: A reproducing apparatus reproduces a loaded disc-shaped recording medium derived from a case. The case comprises a jacket which has a space for accomodating the disc-shaped recording medium and an opening for allowing the disc-shaped recording medium to go in and out of the jacket, and a lid member inserted through the opening of the jacket for closing the opening of the jacket.

Abstract: A tape cassette loading device in a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprises a cassette holder movable up and down for receiving and holding a tape cassette, a driving source for operating in rotation in response to the detection of the partial insertion of the tape cassette in horizontal direction into the cassette holder, a drawing mechanism for drawing the partially inserted tape cassette into a predetermined position within the cassette holder by the transmitted rotational driving force from the driving source, and tape cassette loading mechanism for lowering the cassette holder with the tape cassette received and held therein by the driving force transmitted from the driving source when the tape cassette is drawn into a predetermined position in the cassette holder, and for loading the tape cassette to a predetermined loading position in the magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus.

Abstract: A new cassette tape player is provided. It comprises a cassette holder, an actuator arm pivotally disposed within the chassis, a slide plate which moves with the rotation of the actuator arm, a hook plate to lock the slide plate at a locking position, and a cassette positioning lever to rotate upon completion of actuator arm to ensure that the cassette received in the cassette holder is properly positioned. The hook plate is also provided with means for damping a shock inflicted thereon.

Abstract: To record an indicating signal on a record medium, the actuation of a cue signal recording switch is detected, and then the count of a cue signal cycle counter is sensed to determine if it has reached a preselected count. This counter is incremented by one count until the preselected count has been reached, whereupon it is reset to an initial count, and a cue counter is incremented by one count. Then, the count of the cue counter is sensed to determine if it is less than a particular count and, if so, a cue signal is recorded. If the cue count is not less than the particular count, the recording of the cue signal is terminated, thus representing one type of indicating signal. Recording of the cue signal continues until the cue counter reaches its particular count, even if the cue signal recording switch is deactuated. The foregoing steps are repeated substantially periodically in accordance with the programmed instructions of a processor.

Abstract: To insure maintenance of a fixed position of tape which is being withdrawn from a cassette and looped in a predetermined tape path, a pressing engagement head (23) with a friction surface (24) presses the tape (4) against the scanning device (1) during withdrawal from, or return to, a cassette of the tape. Movement of the head (23) in clamping direction is controlled by a lever (9) which engages a cam (13, 15, 16, 17, 18), rotated by a drive shaft (14) upon withdrawal of the tape from the cassette and placement of the tape into a tape path, the initial position leaving the tape free around the scanning device, withdrawing movement clamping the tape against the scanning device by pivoting of the lever and hence engaging the clamping head (23) against the tape (4) and the tape against the scanning device (1). Preferably, the engagement is resilient, for example by interposition of a leaf spring (21).

Abstract: A Universal Digital Data Copying System for the blind copying of digital information from electromagnetic media such as flexible discs is disclosed. The system provides a master drive and a slave drive by which information is read from the master drive, timed by a phase-locked oscillator, converted by a serial to parallel converter, and controlled by a controller and stored in the high speed memory buffer. The output of the controller is fed to a parallel to serial converter and precompensation circuit. Thereupon the information is written at the slave drive at a fixed clock rate. A verifier to test the quality of the recording is also disclosed. By the addition of other drive units, the system provides for any desired number of copies to be made concurrently from a single master. The invention thus provides a copying system independent of the media employed, format or encoding scheme used.

Abstract: A playback mode switching circuit for a tape recorder in which, when the direction of rotation of the capstan motor is changed upon switching between playback modes, a predetermined period of time is provided for stabilizing the rotation of the capstan motor from the time instant that the playback mode is switched until a new playback operation has been established. Also, if a playback mode switching operation is effected during the predetermined period of time, the predetermined period of time is lengthened. A capstan drive circuit operates in response to outputs of a first flip-flop the state of which is determined by the application thereto of forward and reverse operation switching signals. The outputs of the first flip-flop are differentiated and coupled to a one-shot multivibrator which determines the period of time before which the newly-selected playback mode can be effected.

Abstract: A rotating magnetic memory, such as a disk drive using sector servo information, is initialized with servo information by first using the dedicated product head assembly, including transducers and the mounting and accessing mechanisms associated therewith, to write on the innermost and outermost data tracks, following which the tracks written by each transducer are read using a precision servowriter mechanism which is then positioned to duplicate the access path of the product head assembly and determine the position of such innermost and outermost tracks. By then offsetting the precision servowriter by a half track pitch and writing the servo information to form equally spaced tracks, the disk is initialized with full track pitch servo information which is positioned and aligned with the position and alignment of the dedicated product head assembly.

Abstract: A driving mechanism for a tape recorder having a magnetic head and pinch roller having a first solenoid actuated plunger, said magnetic head and pinch roller being movable into and out of an actuating position by a lever associated with said first plunger, compact second and third solenoid actuated plungers forming operational modes of quick feeding and rewinding, a slider plate movable in opposite directions by said second and third plungers, a transmission mechanism connecting a drive source respectively with a supply reel and a take-up in the operation of said second and third plungers, a locking mechanism retaining a sliding position of said slider by operation of said first plunger and a lost motion mechanism adapted to inhibit the operation of said pinch roller at least in the operation of said second and third plungers, can form the operational modes of quick feeding and rewinding of the magnetic tape only by the use for triggering the operation of said compact plungers instead of larger ones to reduce

Abstract: A magnetic head characterized by comprising:a first half including a first block made of a ferromagnetic material and a second block made of a non-magnetic material jointed to said first block, said first half being formed with a notch separating at least said second block;a ferromagnetic first thin film formed on a surface of said first half containing one surface of each of said first and second blocks and having a bay defined by said notch;a ferromagnetic second thin film and a non-magnetic third thin film formed on said first thin film which are opposite to each other with said bay therebetween;a second half forming a core block with said first half, which is fitted to said first half so that said first, second and third thin films are sandwiched between said first and second halves, and which has at least a non-magnetic portion opposite to said second block, and which is formed with a notch opposite to said notch of said first half; anda magnetic flux detecting means provided at a magnetic path constitut

Abstract: In a recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprising at least one magnetic head (29, 30), which is rotatable in a given direction of rotation (31), and at least one tape guide (16) for a magnetic tape (3), which guide is arranged near said head, said tape passes round at least a part of the circumferential surface of the tape guide and past the magnetic head, which rotates at a given level oblique tracks being scanned by means of said magnetic head in a given direction of movement (36) of the magnetic tape, which tracks are each time situated within a longitudinal half of the magnetic tape.

Abstract: In a video tape recorder which employs a rotary magnetic head secured on a deflectable device, such as a bi-morph leaf, to dynamically perform head tracking during reproduction of previously recorded tracks regardless of the tape transport speed; the height of the magnetic head is detected during recording to produce a feedback control signal which electrically adjusts the height of the magnetic head by deforming the bi-morph leaf to overcome hysteresis deflection of the bi-morph leaf so that the magnetic head is returned to and maintained at a normal height during recording.

Abstract: An identification card, comprising several laminated layers, one of which is of material capable of being magnetized, has 350 spots on it, each of which is capable of having one portion of the spot magnetized north and the other portion magnetized south. The 350 spots are divided into groups of randomly selected spots. One group, for example, represents the serial number of the card and has the portions of its spots magnetized accordingly. Apparatus for reading, and for remagnetizing the card to change the information recorded thereon, is also provided. This apparatus includes a horseshoe core (for each spot) that bridges the two magnetized portions of the spot. A "Hall effect" device detects the direction of the flux in said horseshoe core to respond to the direction of the magnetism of the portions of the spot. The polarity of the portions comprising the spot may be reversed by energizing a coil on the horseshoe core.