Patents Examined by Adrienne C. Johnstone
  • Patent number: 10189318
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a carcass layer, a belt layer, a tread rubber having a cap tread and an undertread, a pair of side wall rubbers, a pair of rim cushion rubbers, and a grounding tread that is exposed to a road contact surface of the tread rubber and that penetrates the cap tread and the undertread to contact the belt layer in an electrically conductive manner. The grounding tread includes a widened portion having a cross-sectional area that widens toward a contact surface with the belt layer at the contact portion with the belt layer. The widened portion of the grounding tread has a profile shape that bulges outward in a tire width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Isamu Kishizoe
  • Patent number: 10173471
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes: an annular structure that is cylindrical and metal where at least an outer side surface in the radial direction is a rough surface; a tread rubber layer that will become a tread portion provided along a circumferential direction of the annular structure on an outer side of the annular structure; and a carcass portion including fibers covered with rubber, provided on at least both sides in a direction parallel to a center axis of the cylindrical structure including the annular structure and the tread rubber layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Tanno, Noboru Takada, Susumu Imamiya
  • Patent number: 10112446
    Abstract: A tire includes: bead cores; a carcass; a bead filler that extends along an outer face of the carcass from the bead core toward a tire radial direction outer side; and side reinforcing rubber that is provided at a tire side portion, that extends in the tire radial direction along an inner face of the carcass, that decreases in thickness on progression toward the bead core side and toward a tread portion side, that has an end portion at the bead core side that overlaps with bead filler with the carcass sandwiched therebetween, and that has an elongation at break of 130% or above, wherein a thickness of the side reinforcing rubber at a midpoint between an end portion at the tire radial direction outer side of the bead filler running along the carcass, and the end portion is 40% to 80% of a maximum thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Sakurai, Osamu Motoori, Gaku Ogawa
  • Patent number: 10099516
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire includes a bead filler, a carcass ply, a steel protection layer, and an organic fiber protection layer. A reinforcing rubber sandwiches a wind-up end of the steel protection layer. A relationship of 1?A/B?2 is satisfied between a width A from the wind-up end of the steel protection layer to a tire inner surface, and a width B from the wind-up end of the steel protection layer to a tire outer surface. The wind-up end of the carcass ply is covered with a ply cover member. A relationship of 0.8?D/C?1.2 is satisfied between a thickness C of a second bead filler positioning between the ply cover member and a first bead filler, and a thickness D of the reinforcing rubber positioning between the ply cover member and the steel protection layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsunetaka Nakamata
  • Patent number: 10093135
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a carcass ply wound up from an inner side to an outer side around bead cores, chafers wound up from an outer side to an inner side around the bead cores, and an inner liner rubber which is arranged in an inner side of the carcass ply, wherein a squeegee rubber having a higher modulus than the inner liner rubber is provided closer to the inner liner rubber side than the chafers between the carcass ply and the inner liner rubber, and the squeegee rubber is arranged so as to cover inside wound-up ends of the chafers, and is provided with a thick portion which is thicker than the inner liner rubber, and thin portions which are arranged respectively in an inner side and an outer side in the tire diametrical direction of the thick portion and are thinner than the inner liner rubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Izuhara
  • Patent number: 10052834
    Abstract: A method in accordance with the present invention retreads an air maintenance tire. The method comprises the steps of: grinding remaining tread material from a tire casing for a worn air-maintenance tire; temporarily securing a contoured piece around a structure secured to the inner surface of the tire casing; placing a tread on the tire casing; inflating a bladder within an internal cavity of the tire casing and around the contoured piece whereby the bladder does not contact the structure; securing the tread to the tire casing; deflating the bladder; separating the tire casing and tread secured to the tire casing from the bladder; and removing the contoured piece from the tire casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Robert Allen Losey
  • Patent number: 10040323
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes an elastomeric casing. The elastomeric casing includes a crown portion, opposing sidewalls, and bead areas that are formed along the sidewalls in spaced relation to the crown portion. The bead areas include at least one bead reinforcing element, such as a bead core and/or a bead filler, that is at least partially formed from carbon fibers. A method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire assembly is also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Jon I. Stuckey, Justin E. Hayes, Kent D. Weatherwax
  • Patent number: 10000095
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire 2 has a marking on each sidewall 8 thereof. A large number of dimples 62 are formed in a region between the marking and a rim protector 34. These dimples 62 are arranged along a circumferential direction. These dimples 62 form a row. The row includes: (1) dimples each having a plane shape of a circle; or (2) dimples in each of which a plane shape is substantially a rectangle, and a ratio of a length in the circumferential direction to a width in a radial direction is equal to or greater than 1.0 and equal to or less than 3.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Naoki Yukawa
  • Patent number: 9987887
    Abstract: Aircraft tire comprises carcass reinforcement (5) comprising a first family of carcass layers extending between two beads (3), having at least one carcass layer wrapped, within each bead, from the inside towards the outside of the tire, around a bead wire (6) to form turn-up (511) having free end (E1) radially outside of radially outermost point (E) of the bead wire. The second family comprises at least two carcass layers, adjacent each to the next, extending, within each bead, from outside towards inside of the tire, as far as their respective ends (E2) which are radially inside of axial straight line (DY) through centre (O) of bead wire (6) and axially inside of a radial straight line (DZ) through centre (O) at axial distance (d2) at least equal to 5 mm. The carcass layers of the second family are axially inside of at least one turn-up of a carcass layer of the first family.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Charlotte Caffeau, Arnaud Boursin
  • Patent number: 9975381
    Abstract: A pneumatic vehicle tire of a radial type of construction is for heavy trucks and has a four-ply belt (3). Each belt ply (7, 8, 9, 10) contains steel cords as reinforcing elements which run parallel to one another in each belt ply. Not only are the angles (?, ?) that the steel cords in the second and third belt plies (8, 9) form with the circumferential direction (A-A) approximately equal, but also the angles (?, ?) that the steel cords in the first and fourth belt plies (7, 10) form with the circumferential direction (A-A) are likewise approximately equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Katie Herta, Joerg Bartke, Dong Zheng
  • Patent number: 9937753
    Abstract: The invention relates to a tire comprising a crown reinforcement formed of at least two working crown layers of reinforcing elements the ends of which are radially uncoupled by a polymer compound. According to the invention, the reinforcing elements of at least one working crown layer are metal cords with saturated layers, at least one internal layer being sheathed with a layer consisting of a polymer composition such as a rubber composition and in each of the shoulders of the tire, at least the uncoupling polymer compound in contact with the ends of at least two working crown layers exhibits, in the sorption test, a gas content lower than 0.06 m3STP/m3ML.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.
    Inventors: Jacques Besson, Aurore Lardjane, François Dimier
  • Patent number: 9931800
    Abstract: A tire with a circumferential reinforcement layer formed by spirally winding rubber strips in the same direction from different positions arranged in the width direction of the tire. The rubber strips (12A and 12B) are arranged with spaces in a part or the entirety of the tire in the width direction; among those end portions of the rubber strips, at least medial end portions (12Bs and 12Ae) that are located on the equatorial plane side of the tire are arranged at positions where the medial end portions completely overlap with rib-form land portions (2a) in the width direction of the tire; and the width of the rib-form land portions overlapping with the medial end portions is defined as W and the width of the rubber strips is defined as G, wherein a relationship G<W is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daisuke Maehara
  • Patent number: 9919563
    Abstract: A radial tire includes a crown reinforcement or belt having a lightened belt structure. The lightened belt structure is constructed of a multilayer composite laminate that includes a first layer of rubber that radially surmounts, in a direction Z, two other layers of rubber. The first layer of rubber includes weakly heat-shrinkable textile circumferential reinforcers, for example, made of nylon or polyester. The two other layers of rubber are reinforced with monofilaments of high tensile steel. The first reinforcers have a diameter between 0.40 mm and 0.70 mm and a density between 70 and 130 threads/dm, and the second and third reinforcers have a diameter between 0.20 mm and 0.50 mm and a density between 120 and 180 threads/dm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Aurore Lardjane, Christophe Le Clerc, Jacques Morel-Jean, Arnaud Verleene
  • Patent number: 9902205
    Abstract: A tire with radial carcass reinforcement comprises a crown reinforcement including a layer of circumferential reinforcing elements distributed axially at a variable pitch. The layer of circumferential reinforcing elements is radially crowned by a tread strip, which is connected to two beads by two sidewalls. The layer of circumferential reinforcing elements comprises five parts, including a central part, two intermediate parts and two axially outer parts. The value of the pitch in the two intermediate parts is less than a value of the pitch in the two axially outer parts. Each axially outer part is axially separated from the central part by a corresponding intermediate part. The value of the pitch in each intermediate part is less than a value of the pitch in the central part, and the value of the pitch in each axially outer part is less than the value of the pitch in the central part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: Alain Valle
  • Patent number: 9902204
    Abstract: A radial tire includes a crown reinforcement or belt having a lightened belt structure. The lightened belt structure is constructed of a multilayer composite laminate that includes a first layer of rubber that radially surmounts, in a direction Z, two other layers of rubber. The first layer of rubber is reinforced with first reinforcers, which are circumferential heat-shrinkable polyester textile reinforcers. The two other layers of rubber are reinforced with second and third reinforcers, which are monofilaments of high tensile steel. The first reinforcers have a diameter between 0.40 mm and 0.70 mm and a density between 70 and 130 threads/dm, and the second and third reinforcers have a diameter between 0.20 mm and 0.50 mm and a density between 120 and 180 threads/dm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Aurore Lardjane, Christophe Le Clerc, Jacques Morel-Jean, Arnaud Verleene
  • Patent number: 9895937
    Abstract: The invention relates to improving the endurance of the beads of a radial tire for a heavy vehicle of construction plant type by reducing the cracking that starts on the axially outer face of the turn-up and spreads through the polymer coating and filler materials. According to the invention, a transition element made of a polymer transition material, is in contact, via its axially inner face, with the polymer coating material of the axially outer face of the turn-up and, via its axially outer face, with the polymer filler material, and the elastic modulus at 10% elongation of the polymer transition material is somewhere between the respective elastic moduluses at 10% elongation of the polymer coating material and of the polymer filler material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.
    Inventor: Lucien Bondu
  • Patent number: 9895939
    Abstract: A run-flat tire 1 comprises a carcass 6, a pair of side reinforcing rubber layers 9, and a pair of sidewall rubber components 10. At a tire maximum-width position, a first side reinforcing rubber layer 9A disposed in the side of a first bead portion has a thickness B1 greater than a thickness B2 of a second side reinforcing rubber layer disposed in the side of a second bead portion, and a first sidewall rubber component disposed in the side of the first bead portion has a thickness A1 smaller than a thickness A2 of a second sidewall rubber component disposed in the side of the second bead portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Susumu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9889706
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with a carcass configured from at least one carcass ply. The carcass ply is formed by arranging, in the tire circumferential direction, rectangular sheet-shaped ply pieces, each having a radial direction length larger than a tire circumferential direction length. In each of the ply pieces, carcass cords are arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction, and adjacent ply pieces at least partially overlap with each other in the tire circumferential direction, and in each of the ply pieces, the distance (Pe) between the carcass cords in at least one side edge portion in the circumferential direction of the ply piece, is larger than the distance (Pc) between the carcass cords in a central portion of the ply piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Naoki Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 9849725
    Abstract: Heavy load pneumatic radial tire according to the present invention includes: tread rubber 6 having laminated structure of cap rubber 5 and base rubber 4; and four or more belt layers 3a-3e disposed radially inward of tread rubber 6. A radially outer side of a width direction side edge of at least one of radially outermost belt layer 3e and widest-width belt layer 3c is covered by reinforcing rubber layer 7 that terminates on a radially inner side of tread rubber 6 without reaching tire equatorial plane E. Relative relation between reinforcing rubber constituting reinforcing rubber layer 7 and base rubber 4 in terms of modulus of rebound elasticity satisfies the condition: reinforcing rubber<base rubber 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Matsumura
  • Patent number: 9849732
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a side wall having a side surface and dimples formed on the side surface. The side surface has the tire maximum width point, the dimples are aligned along circumferential rows in concentric form with respect to the tire axis such that the dimples form lateral ribs and longitudinal ribs, the lateral ribs each have radially outer side surface and radially inner side surface and include first and second ribs, the first rib is formed such that the height from the dimple bottom at the inner side surface and the height from the dimple bottom at the outer side surface are equal, the second rib is formed such that the height from the dimple bottom at the inner side surface is greater than the height from the dimple bottom at the outer side surface, and the second rib is positioned radially inward from the maximum width point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Naoki Yukawa