Tape transport system

Claim 1

A TAPE TRANSPORT SYSTEM HAVING HIGH START AND STOP SPEEDS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF TAPE STORAGE REELS EACH HAVING A FIRST STOP-START INERTIA, A DUAL CAPSTAN SYSTEM DISPOSED ALONG THE PATH OF TAPE TRAVEL BETWEEN SAID REELS AND INCLUDING OPPOSITELY ROTATING CAPSTANS, AND PINCH ROLLER MEANS FOR PROVIDING REVERSIBLE TAPE DRIVE, A PAIR OF SECOND TAPE STORAGE AND TENSIONING MEANS EACH HAVING A SECOND START-STOP INERTIA WHICH IS LESS THAN SAID FIRST STOPSTART INERTIA, EACH OF SAID SECOND MEANS BEING POSITIONED ALONG THE PATH OF TAPE TRAVEL ADJACENT ONE OF SAID REELS, AND A PAIR OF THIRD DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE TAPE STORAGE AND TENSIONING MEANS EACH HAVING A THIRD STOP-START INERTIA WHICH IS LESS THAN SAID SECOND INERTIA AND EACH BEING DISPOSED ALONG THE PATH OF THE TAPE TRAVEL BETWEEN SAID SECOND TAPE STORAGE AND TENSIONING MEANS AND ONE OF SAID CAPSTANS, EACH OF SAID THIRD MEANS HAVING WALLS DEFINING AN ELONGATED VACUUM CHAMBER WITH AN OPEN END POSITIONED ADJACENT THE PATH OF TAPE TRAVEL AND WITH AN ELONGATED NARROW OPENING IN ONE WALL THEREOF, MEANS DEFINING A SECOND CHAMBER WHICH ENCOMPASSES SAID OPENING AND VACUUM DRAWING MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID SECOND CHAMBER DEFINING MEANS FOR DRAWING A VACUUM IN THE VACUUM CHAMBER THROUGH SAID OPENING, THE OPENING EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF SAID VACUUM CHAMBER GENERALLY PERPENDICULARLY TO A LOOP OF TAPE FORMED IN THE VACUUM CHAMBER BY DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE, THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE OPENING BEING SUCH THAT THE TAPE IS TENSIONED IN CONFORMITY WITH A TENSION GRADIENT THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR THROUGHOUT THE NORMAL OPERATING RANGE OF MOVEMENT OF THE TAPE IN SAID VACUUM CHAMBER.