Abstract: A mechanism packaging tape cassettes in cardboard sleeves including a controlled cassette guideway which advances cassettes to a packaging station and a controlled loading track which advances sleeves to the packaging station for positioning on the cassettes. The guideway may either receive cassettes from an incoming belt or a hopper. A pusher mechanism advances the cassettes to the packaging station while a retractable stop insures proper location of the cassette. The cassette is slightly raised above the surface of the guideway to be properly positioned for receiving the enclosing sleeve. The loading track includes a hopper to receive collapsed sleeves. The sleeves are released one-at-a-time into the loading track where a sleeve pusher advances the sleeves one-at-a-time into a die defined by opposed channels. The channels are spaced such that the continued pushing of the sleeve therethrough causes it to assume its appropriate rectangular configuration.

Abstract: A mechanism for loading cassettes into soft-poly boxes which employs a poly box hopper and a cassette hopper. Poly boxes are advanced one after another by a pusher from the poly box hopper to successive stations for opening the box lid, loading the cassette into the box, closing the box lid and restacking the loaded box, in seriatim. The poly boxes index each succeeding poly box along a guideway by a pusher which pushes the poly boxes end to end therealong. At the lid opener station, the box is clamped and the lid is forced upwardly and skewed so as to properly enter a guidepath as the box travels to the next station. The cassette loading station properly orients a cassette and forces it into the waiting box with proper indexing and a forceful biasing downward of the cassette into the box. At the lid closure station, the cassette is fully forced into the box and the lid is forcefully closed thereon.

Abstract: A system for the handling of cassettes which are nested in a predetermined pattern to individually remove, orient and deliver each cassette to a work station and then nest in another predetermined pattern the cassettes having passed through the work station. The disclosed system includes an input hopper mechanism including a magazine and a gate, a track system for conveying cassettes from the hopper, a system for removing cassettes to a work station and returning the cassettes to a track, and an output hopper mechanism including an output magazine and a gate means for controlling the input and orientation of cassettes into the output hopper.

Abstract: A mechanism for threading cassette leader onto an automatic cassette splicer and loader. The threader with the automatic splicer and loader requires no manual intervention once the cassette is placed thereon and the cycle is initiated. The threader includes a leader pickup mechanism for drawing a loop of leader from a cassette, a leader placement assembly which engages the loop and extends the leader over a vacuum track, and a tape guide assembly including an arm to pivotally move one side of the loop away from the vacuum track of the splicer and loader and a guide plate adjacent the vacuum track to prevent tape from catching on the vacuum track. These various devices are driven pneumatically by means of a cam and pneumatic switch assembly.