CN86103068A - Cartridges Compatible with Disk Drives - Google Patents

Abstract

A tape cartridge is designed to read and write data to and from magnetic tape using the read/write head of the disk drive. The machine has a portion A sized and shaped to be inserted into a disc drive to position the tape portion in position L for data transfer with the drive head. The machine includes: tape media; means for recording on the tape media against the drive's read/write heads; means for storing portions of the tape media, not included in Part A; and means for feeding the tape media through the disk drive / Write head device. The drive may include a coupler that utilizes the disk drive spindle motor to feed the tape. The connector may also include a clutch to reverse the direction of tape feed.

Description

Disk drive-compatible tape cartridges

The present invention generally relates to data storage media, and more particularly to data tape devices that use the read/write heads of disk drives to read and write data to magnetic tape. Magnetic tape storage media are widely used to store large amounts of data that do not require rapid access by computers. Magnetic tape media are often used for database storage and to store duplicate copies of data in case the original data stored in the computer is inadvertently deleted or corrupted. This latter function is known as "backup" storage.

Typically, storing data on magnetic tape requires a dedicated device for recording data on the tape. The additional cost of such an online backup or disk-based storage tape storage device is reasonable in large-scale data processing systems, but for smaller systems, the additional cost can be significant relative to the overall system cost. In the case of personal computers, the cost of the tape storage device is almost equal to the cost of the PC itself. Consequently, PC users have resorted to using inexpensive floppy disks for backup and removable data storage. Backup storage is achieved by copying the original data to floppy disks. Hard disks, with capacities 20 to 80 times that of floppy disks, are increasingly being used by PC users. Because copying data from a hard disk to a set of floppy disks is time-consuming, it is advantageous to have a large-capacity, removable data storage tape storage device that is relatively inexpensive compared to PC storage. Such a device can be used for online storage backup, software or database distribution, and as a low-cost, slow-access method for online storage.

This tape storage device uses the read/write head of a disk drive to read and/or write data to and from a magnetic tape. The tape storage device, referred to herein as a tape cassette, includes a magnetic tape medium for data storage; a mechanism for recording the magnetic tape relative to a storage unit L, where data is written to or read from the magnetic tape by the read/write head of the disk drive; a mechanism for storing the magnetic tape medium; and a mechanism for transporting the magnetic tape past the read/write head. A portion of the tape cassette, designated as portion A in Figures 2-4, has an outer contour shaped and sized to allow insertion into a disk drive and position the magnetic tape near the read/write head. For most disk drives, portion A is similar in shape to the magnetic disk.

The tape media can be any medium compatible with the read/write configuration of the disk drive in which the tape cartridge is used. Modern floppy disk drives require tapes with magnetic properties suitable for operation with the disk drive's magnetic read/write heads. These tapes may include a base layer to increase wear resistance, reduce friction, and/or reduce static charge. For disk drives using other recording material configurations (e.g., magneto-optical media or optical disks), the tapes should be made of a compatible recording material.

The mechanism that records the tape relative to the disk drive's read/write heads consists of two parts: a mechanism for guiding the tape and/or changing its direction; and a mechanism for aligning the guiding mechanism relative to some correct reference frame within the disk drive. This alignment mechanism ensures that the tape is accurately positioned relative to the read/write heads and follows the correct path as it passes near the heads.

Magnetic tape media can be stored in a variety of ways; these include: two reels capable of alternately winding or rewinding the entire length of the tape; an endless loop structure for storing the tape on one or a series of reels; a box of tape (which can endlessly loop or reverse its length), or a simple continuous roll of tape.

For those embodiments that do not include an infinite loop of tape, read/write operations are either all in one direction or alternate directions depending on the capabilities of the disk drive head. When the tape cartridge is used with a disk drive that transfers data in both directions of tape travel, half of the recording tracks are recorded in one direction and the other half in the other direction, thereby continuously transferring data along the recording tracks without rewinding the tape. When the disk drive can only transfer data in one direction, the tape is rewound at the end of each recording track; the read/write head is moved laterally in the direction of tape travel to position the head over the next recording track to be read or recorded, and the data transfer process continues.

Many well-known mechanisms for transporting magnetic tape are known. These mechanisms include a motor, a drive element that directly contacts the magnetic tape, and a connector connecting the drive element to the motor. Suitable drive elements include a take-up spool for winding the magnetic tape, a capstan, a capstan/pressure roller combination, or a connecting leader. The motor can be internal or external to the magnetic tape cartridge. In some embodiments, a disk drive spindle motor is used to move the magnetic tape past the read/write head.

The primary constraint in selecting a connector is its size. This is especially true when a disk drive spindle motor is used to move the tape, as the cassette player is inserted into the disk drive, which places severe size constraints on the disk drive. Because conventional disk drive spindle motors have very low power consumption and because disturbances in tape velocity and edge positioning must be minimized as the tape moves past the read/write head, the connector must be efficient and stable in transmitting power. Connectors of choice include various types of leader tapes, gears, worm gears, friction wheels, eccentrics and coupling combinations, flexible cables, rigid drive shafts, or some combination of these or other devices. When the motor rotates in only one direction and two reels are used for storage of the tape media, the connector may also include a coupling mechanism to move the tape in opposite directions.

For those tape cassettes that require magnetic tape to be sent in the reverse direction, the command of the reverse direction can be sent to the tape cassette by the disk drive shaft, the head actuator, or the head loading motor. Because the tape cassette can comprise a battery, or is electrically connected on the disk drive or other power supplies, the embodiment of transmission and coupling can have electric component and mechanical element. Equally, the movement of magnetic tape can be realized by the motor as the tape cassette part, and power supply is provided by battery or external electrical connection. The disk drive designed for being applicable to the tape cassette can comprise an electric plug, so that power supply and/or control information are delivered to the tape cassette.

Tape and disk drive systems typically have some type of feedback loop to adjust for changes in media speed. This feedback can adjust the media speed or the read and write rates—the feedback simply maintains the ratio between the media speed and the read/write speed at a constant value. For example, in many disk drives, the disk drive controller adjusts the read rate based on the motion of the disk. The same disk drive controller would similarly adjust the read rate based on the motion of the tape in a cassette tape drive. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that changes in the tape's speed as it passes the read/write head are within the limits of the disk drive controller's read/write speed feedback loop. To help ensure this, the tape media parameters, tape guide system, and tape transport system are selected to accurately simulate the relevant disk parameters.

The characteristics of the data stored on the magnetic tape are determined by the mechanism used by the disk drive head to store the data on the disk. If the read/write head stores data as a series of bits, the data on the magnetic tape will also be stored in this format. Similar compatibility will exist between the mechanism for storing data on the magnetic disk and the mechanism for storing data on the magnetic tape in the magnetic tape cartridge drive, regardless of whether the parallel data storage is performed by amplitude or frequency modulation. Any data encoding scheme used by the magnetic tape drive system to store data on the magnetic disk (for example, frequency-converted modulation (MFM) data encoding sometimes used to encode digital data onto the magnetic disk) will also be implemented with the data stored on the magnetic tape in the magnetic tape cartridge drive.

The data format describes how data is organized on a disk or tape cartridge. It includes parameters such as the number of data tracks, the number of segments per track, the number of bytes per segment, segment header information, and additional codes used for error detection. These parameters are established by the disk drive controller. The tape data format and other parameters used by the disk drive controller, such as the interleaving factor, need not be identical to the disk data format. The primary difference is that a tape cartridge drive will require more segments per data track and/or longer segments to take advantage of the increased capacity of the tape media. Therefore, when using a tape cartridge drive for data storage, a mechanism for temporarily changing these parameters in the disk drive controller must be used to take advantage of the increased capacity of the tape cartridge drive. These changes can be accomplished either through software control in the host computer's operating system or by modifying a controller read-only memory (ROM) that contains these parameters. The optimal mechanism for performing this task, as well as the selection of these specific parameters, depends on the specific controller, operating system, and disk drive itself.

Figure 1 is a bottom view of a standard 3.5" mini-floppy disk cartridge. This is a common medium for storing data in 3.5" mini-floppy disk drives.

FIG2 is a top view (shown as part A) of a cassette tape player with a portion of the outer casing removed, the cassette tape player being mounted in a 3.5-inch mini floppy disk drive and including a device for recording a magnetic tape based on a magnetic disk drive head.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 .

Fig. 5 is a top view of the embodiment housing with the cassette tape drive portion removed (shown as part B) for transporting and storing the tape medium in the cassette tape drive. This embodiment utilizes a length of tape having two tail ends.

Figure 6 is a detailed view of a threaded slider. This is a part of the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

Figures 7a-c illustrate the motion of the toggle clutch embodiment of Figure 5. The clutch is activated when one of the reels is unwound at the tail end of the tape.

Figure 8 is a top view of an embodiment of a tape cassette drive with the outer shell removed (shown as part C) for transporting and storing the tape medium in the tape cassette drive. This embodiment utilizes an infinite loop of the tape.

Figure 9 is a detailed view of the tape wound on the twisted tape guide. This is a portion of the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

Several possible embodiments of the cassette tape drive have been examined, two of which will be discussed below. Both embodiments will be used with a standard 3.5-inch mini-floppy disk drive. Embodiments with similar functional components may be implemented using other types of disk drives. The primary difference between the two embodiments is that the former includes a length of tape with two tails, while the latter utilizes an infinite loop of tape. These implementations affect how the tape is driven and stored in each case. However, they have little effect on the actual tape medium used and how it is recorded by the disk drive. Therefore, the discussion of the tape medium and its recording is the same for the transmission/storage embodiment.

The portion of the cassette tape recorder, referred to as part A, shown in Figures 2-4, is capable of recording magnetic tape according to a disk drive tape and is inserted into the disk drive to access the magnetic head. The portion of the cassette tape recorder that stores and transports the magnetic tape can be referred to as the transport/storage portion. Part B in Figure 5 is the transport/storage portion in the cassette tape recorder embodiment, which utilizes the reverse length of the magnetic tape. Part C in Figure 8 is the transport/storage portion in an embodiment that utilizes an endless loop of magnetic tape. Therefore, the first cassette tape recorder embodiment includes parts A and B, while the second embodiment includes parts A and C.

In the following discussion, identical reference symbols will be used to denote identical components throughout the various figures. The first digit of each reference symbol will identify the first figure in which the referenced component is located. Here, some definitions are introduced for the following discussion. A "disk drive head" is a mechanical device used to read and/or write data on an associated data recording medium. A magnetic tape typically has a "length," a "width," and a "thickness," with its length (typically several feet) being much greater than its width, and its width (approximately 3/4 inch) being much greater than its thickness (approximately 0.0005 inch). Thus, the magnetic tape can be considered a two-dimensional surface extending along its length and width. "Feeding" a magnetic tape means transporting it along its length. At a given point on the tape, the "plane of the tape" means the point at which the plane is tangent to these two-dimensional surfaces. A "tape guide" is any element that corrects the "plane of the tape" or the position of the edge of the tape as it passes through the guide. If a tape guide corrects the plane of the tape, thereby causing the path of the tape to twist along the tape guide, the tape guide is called a "twisted tape guide."

The tape media used is 0.75 inches wide. This allows a disk drive head to access 80 tracks, the maximum number used by standard 3.5-inch disk drives. The magnetic covering of the tape has a coercivity and thickness that can support the magnetic transitions written by the disk drive head at its normal data rate, which is the tape drive speed. A backing coat may be used if it benefits the device used for transporting, storing, or recording the tape (for example, reducing friction, increasing wear resistance, and/or reducing static charge). If the disk is stored wrapped around itself, the backing coat must be non-magnetic to avoid copying. As 3.5-inch disk drives further increase in linear density due to changes in their head/media system, tape media can be converted to disk media in a similar manner. This will allow the tape media to maintain a comparable increase in linear density, which will increase the capacity and/or performance of the tape cartridge drive.

Figure 1 is a bottom view of a standard 3.5-inch mini-floppy disk cartridge. The dashed circle represents the disk media in the cartridge. The shaded area is an automatic shutter. This is a protective cover that automatically slides down when the disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive, so that the opening in the automatic shutter matches the opening in the cartridge, allowing the disk drive head to access the disk media. The shutter is shown in the open position. The half-filled rectangle in the upper right corner of the cartridge in Figure 1 is a write-protect switch. The position of this switch is sensed by a sensor in the disk drive and allows the disk drive to recognize a write-protected disk cartridge.

Figures 2-4 illustrate section A of a tape cassette drive. Since section A is intended to be installed in a 3.5-inch micro floppy disk drive, its dimensions must be adapted to the dimensions of a 3.5-inch micro floppy disk cartridge (90 mm wide, 94 mm long, and 3.3 mm thick) to properly load the cartridge into the drive's loading mechanism. Typically, this section is required to have a disk-shaped profile to fit through a rectangular opening in the front of a typical disk drive. Tape media 20 is fed into section A at a tape feed location 21. From location 21, the tape is fed to a torsional tape guide 22 and then passes through location L, where the disk drive head reads or writes data to the tape (along dashed line 25). The tape is then transferred to a torsional tape guide 23 and fed from section A to a tape take-up location 24. Typically, reading and writing are performed at location L, and in some disk drives, such as optical disk drives, location L is not adjacent to the read/write head.

In some embodiments where the tape has a limited length, such as those described in Section B, the tape is transferred from the delivery position 21 to the take-up position 24. The delivery and take-up positions are then reversed. The tape is then reversed to allow for rewinding. Once the tape has been rewound, the delivery and take-up positions are returned to their original positions, and the process is repeated. The mechanism for this transition is briefly discussed in Section B.

Twisted tape guides 22 and 23 are angled 45 degrees relative to the direction of tape transport. On each twisted tape guide, the tape is helically wound around the guide at an angle of approximately 180 degrees, which changes the tape transport path by 90 degrees and rotates the tape plane 180 degrees to a standard position. This method of tape guidance within Section A maintains the tape within a disk-shaped area whose size and shape allow Section A to fit within the rectangular opening in the front of many common disk drives. These guides allow the tape to be fed into Section A, facilitate proper access to location L, and exit Section A once it has been placed within the disk defined by Section A. In this manner, the tape passes through the disk drive head in a manner similar to that of disk media, as indicated by line 25.

Several other tape guides 26 provide a reference edge for recording the tape and/or provide a wrap angle to change the plane of the tape. These tape guides 26 are located at several locations: between the tape feed position 21 and the twisting tape guide 22; between twisting tape guides 22 and 23; and between twisting tape guide 23 and the tape take-up position 24. For example, where the tape guides 26 provide a reference edge for recording the tape, pressure is applied to the tape so that one edge of the tape presses against the reference edge of the tape guide 26. This pressure can be applied to the tape by adjusting the predetermined mounting tolerances of the twisting tape guides 22 and 23, by adjusting the shape of the twisting tape guides 22, 23, and/or the tape guide 26, and/or by using a spring surface acting on the non-reference edge of the tape. All tape guides and drive components that come into contact with the tape are made of non-magnetic materials, such as non-magnetic stainless steel or ceramic.

In the illustrated embodiment, the power for transporting the tape can be derived from the disk drive spindle motor. As shown in FIG4 , near the center of section A is a cylindrical receptacle 27 comprising a circular hole 43 in the center of the receptacle and a second hole 44 offset from the center of the receptacle. When the tape cassette drive is installed in a 3.5-inch disk drive, hole 43 is positioned on the circular shaft of the disk drive spindle motor. As the disk drive spindle motor rotates, a spring pin extends from the motor receptacle assembly into hole 44. In this way, power derived from the disk drive spindle motor is transmitted to receptacle 27 in the tape cassette drive. The tape cassette drive is enclosed in a protective housing 29. Holes 42 in the lower surface of protective housing 29 allow the spindle motor receptacle assembly to enter receptacle 27. Openings 212 in the upper and lower surfaces of housing 29 allow the disk drive head to access the tape along line 25. These openings 212 are protected by a slide 40, which includes openings 41 in its upper and lower surfaces. During use of the tape cassette player, slider 40 is positioned so that opening 41 is positioned adjacent to opening 212. The slider is essentially equivalent in appearance and function to the "automatic shutter" on a 3.5-inch mini-floppy disk cartridge, and movement of slider 40 is accomplished in the same manner as the automatic shutter. Write-protect switch 45 operates in a manner similar to the write-protect switch on a magnetic disk cartridge and similarly cooperates with a sensor in the magnetic disk drive that detects the state of the switch. The protective housing also includes a ball bearing 28, the inner race of which rotates with receptacle 27 while the outer race remains stationary, thereby isolating the rotational movement of receptacle 27 from the stationary portion of the tape cassette player.

To ensure that the read/write head accurately records the tape, it is important to repeatedly align the tape cassette with respect to certain reference frames within the disk drive. Generally, recording the tape requires accurate tape positioning and correct tape feed direction as the tape passes through position L. To achieve this, the tape cassette should include a set of guide pins to accurately guide the tape within the cassette, as well as some structure to ensure accurate alignment with the disk drive (particularly with respect to position L). The bottom of the protective shell of the mini-floppy disk cartridge used in a 3.5-inch mini-floppy disk drive has a pair of holes extending through the shell. When the mini-floppy disk cartridge is loaded into the disk drive, these holes are equipped with a pair of pins to locally control the vertical positioning of the disk cartridge within the disk drive. To achieve the desired alignment with the tape cassette, these pins must correspond to vertical and translational reference points within the disk drive. Therefore, the tape cassette includes a pair of holes 210 and 211 located on the bottom surface of the protective shell 29 for receiving a pair of alignment pins within the disk drive assembly.

Rectangular hole 211 provides tight clearance for mounting the associated pin in the disk drive. Holes 211 and 43 provide tilt and vertical reference for the tape cassette player. Hole 210 provides loose clearance for mounting the associated pin in the disk drive, providing vertical reference for the tape cassette player. The tight clearance between hole 43 and the circular drive shaft of the disk drive's spindle motor provides balance for translational positioning. Two additional pins located near the disk drive's cartridge opening in the disk drive also provide vertical support for the mini-floppy disk cartridge or tape cassette player.

Because the cassette tape drive is repeatedly aligned with the disk drive through holes 43, 210, and 211, the tape guides 22, 23, and 26 must be accurately positioned with respect to these registered holes. The deflection of the bearing 28 must be accounted for by the accumulated fit tolerances to ensure that the tape 20 is accurately aligned with the disk drive head.

In the embodiments shown above, the disk drive spindle motor is used as the power source for transporting the magnetic tape. Socket 27 includes a pulley to drive leader tape 213. Leader tape 213 is used in either section B or section C to transmit power from socket 27 to the tape drive element. If the disk drive spindle motor is insufficiently powered or unsuitable for driving the magnetic tape, both embodiments can utilize a dedicated motor from a tape cassette player or some other suitable power source to drive the magnetic tape.

The transport/storage section shown in Section B of FIG. 5 utilizes a pair of transport/take-up reels 51 and 52. One end of the tape medium 20 is secured to reel 51, while the other end is secured to 52. The tape medium is alternately wound from the transport reel through Section A onto the take-up reel. In FIG. 5 , the tape output position 21 is on reel 51, while reel 52 is driven to serve as the tape take-up position 24. This is the direction of tape travel, i.e., the direction in which data is read or written. Currently, a standard 3.5-inch disk drive head can only transmit data when the media is traveling in one direction. Therefore, the other direction of tape travel is used for rewinding. If the head design is further improved to allow bidirectional data transmission, data would be transmitted in both directions of tape travel.

In this embodiment, power is derived from the disk drive spindle motor via leader belt 213. Because the spindle motor rotates only in one direction, a toggle clutch located on the reel drive shaft 50 is required to reverse the tape travel, while the tape reels 51 and 52 on shaft 50 are free to rotate. A sliding pulley driven by leader belt 213 engages the teeth of a threaded block 54 or 55 via teeth 60 (illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 6 ). Each threaded block is rotatably mounted on shaft 50 and connected to its associated reel 51 or 52 by a coil spring 63. This arrangement transmits power from the disk drive motor to the current take-up reel.

Figure 6 shows a detailed view of the threaded slider 54 or 55. Each threaded slider has a hollow shaft that rotates an extension 64 of its respective spool 51 or 52. A pair of pins 61 are rigidly connected to the extension 64 and extend through threads 62 in the slider. When the tape is completely wound off the supply spool, further tape feed is prevented because the tape ends are fixed to the take-up and supply spools, preventing the take-up spool from rotating. As the driven pulley continues to rotate, the threaded slider, engaged with it, is forced to rotate about the shaft 50. Because the shaft 50 is rigidly mounted to the housing 211, as the threaded slider rotates, the shaft 50, along with the pulley, is pulled out of the take-up spool by the grooves 62 fixed to the pins 61. The angle of the teeth is steeper than the angle of the threads to ensure that the teeth do not initially disengage from the spiral transmission of the pin/thread combination. When the pulley is pushed past the center portion, the overcentering device 56 is activated. The over-centering device 56 is spring-loaded by a spring 57 and coupled to a sliding pulley by a roller 58. The over-centering device pushes the sliding pulley toward the other spool, which then engages the new take-up spool and threaded slider. Figures 7a-c illustrate this process. This action releases the original threaded slider, which then returns to the original take-up spool by means of a helical return spring 63. One end of the spring 63 is fixed to a pin 61, and the other end is connected to a flange 65, which is part of the threaded slider 54 or 55. Each time the tape reaches its endpoint, the reverse tape feed process is repeated.

The transport/storage embodiment is shown in section C of FIG8 . The tape medium 20 enters section C from position 24 of section A. The tape is subjected to a half-twist by wrapping around a twist guide 80. Upon entering the guide, the tape's orientation changes from being coplanar with section A to its edge, with the tape traveling almost transversely upon exiting the guide. The circular arrows in FIG8 indicate this change in direction. Twist guides 81 and 80 are identical, but 81 is used to perform the reverse change of direction. FIG9 is a detailed view of these guides. After exiting twist guide 80, the tape is transported on its edge to the outside of the tape reel, where it is bounded by the periphery of rollers 82-85. As the tape is transported, it continues to rotate inward until the inner surface of the tape is completely wrapped around roller 84 and reaches the center of the reel.

This embodiment shows a capstan 86, which receives power from the disk drive spindle motor via a leader tape 213, which is wound around a pulley on the capstan. An unloaded pinch roller 87 is supported by an idler arm 88. The idler arm rotates about a pin 89, springing the pinch roller onto the capstan via a spring 810. This provides friction drive for transporting the tape. From here, the tape is wound onto a twist guide 81, which redirects the tape coplanar with section A as it exits section C.

In all endless loop embodiments, the tape travels in only one direction, eliminating the need for a reverse clutch. This design is certainly more time-efficient for currently used 3.5-inch mini floppy disk drives because it eliminates the need for rewinding the tape. However, due to the requirement for applying tape twist and the friction associated with guiding this twist, a more powerful motor is required than in embodiments utilizing a reversing tape length. Other endless loop embodiments differ in the relative positions of the drive components, the reel-to-reel drive, and the geometry of the tape twisting operation. However, all of these embodiments are composed of essentially the same functional components.

Claims (14)

1. A cassette tape drive suitable for transferring data between a magnetic tape in a disk drive and a disk drive head, comprising: a magnetic tape adapted to transfer data between the magnetic tape and said disk drive head; means for recording a portion of the magnetic tape at a position L where data can be transferred between the magnetic tape and the disk drive head; means for conveying the magnetic tape through position L; and A device for storing magnetic tapes. 2. The tape cassette player according to claim 1, wherein said means for recording comprises: When the tape cartridge is loaded into the disk drive, a device for aligning the tape cartridge and the disk drive; A device in a cassette tape recorder for guiding the tape so that the tape is recorded at position L when the cassette tape recorder is aligned with the disk drive. 3. The tape cassette player according to claim 2, further comprising: A protective shell encapsulating the tape has a bottom portion including at least two locating holes so that when the tape cartridge is installed in the disk drive, each hole fits an associated pin in the disk drive and aligns the tape cartridge with the disk drive. 4. The tape cassette of claim 3 for use with a disk drive having a motor shaft, wherein a hole in the bottom of the protective housing is adapted to receive the motor shaft, the motor shaft being one of said disk drive pins for adjusting the tape cassette to accommodate position L. 5. The tape cassette player according to claim 2, wherein the tape cassette player comprises an A portion which is insertable into the disk drive, the magnetic tape being accommodated in a substantially planar area in the A portion. 6. The tape cassette player according to claim 5, wherein the guide means in section A is characterized by comprising: Several torsion tape guides; The tape is wound around each of the twisted tape guides at an angle of approximately 180 degrees to change the tape feed direction and rotate the tape plane by approximately 180 degrees so that the tape is conveyed through portion A in a disk-shaped area, whereby portion A may have a disk-like shape suitable for insertion into a disk drive. 7. The tape cassette player according to claim 1, wherein the storing means comprises means for storing the magnetic tape in an endless loop. 8. The tape cassette player according to claim 1, wherein the storage means comprises a first reel and a second reel, between which the magnetic tape is wound. 9. The tape cassette player according to claim 1, wherein the tape transport device comprises: A device for driving the magnetic tape and in contact with the magnetic tape; A connector that transmits power from the motor to the drive tape mechanism. 10. The tape cassette player of claim 9, wherein the connector includes a clutch for reversely feeding the tape past position L. 11. The tape cassette player of claim 9 wherein the disc drive utilizes a motor and wherein the connector is adapted to transmit power from the disc drive motor to the means for driving the tape. 12. The tape cassette player of claim 9, further comprising a tape cassette player motor, wherein the motor of the coupling connector is the tape cassette player motor. 13. The tape cassette player according to claim 9, wherein the means for driving comprises a capstan shaft in contact with the tape and connected to the motor via a connector to provide power required for driving the tape. 14. The tape cassette player according to claim 9, wherein the means for driving comprises a first reel and a second reel, said reels being coupled to the motor by a connector and rotating in response to the motor to wind the magnetic tape from one reel onto the other reel, said reels also serving as means for storing the magnetic tape.

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