Patents Examined by Brendon Charles Darby
  • Patent number: 11975571
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a tire having characters such as a brand name, a model name, etc. engraved on a sidewall thereof. The tire of the present disclosure includes a plurality of knurling units that includes: a first knurling part that is convex; a second knurling part that continues from a side of the first knurling part and is convex; a third knurling part that continues from a side of the second knurling part and is convex; and a fourth knurling part that is convex and is continuously connected from a side of the third knurling part to another side of the first knurling part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Myong Joong Lee, Kwang Su Lee
  • Patent number: 11945262
    Abstract: The invention relates to a utility vehicle tire tyre having a tread with at least one circumferential channel (2, 2?, 2?) with a channel base (5) and channel walls (4, 4?). Base elevations are formed on the channel base. A top surface (8, 8?, 8?) of the base elevations (7, 7?, 7?) slopes downward uniformly toward the surface edge, wherein the channel walls (4, 4?) have, to the side of the base elevations (7, 7?, 7?), wall sections (4b, 4?b) which are convexly curved toward one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Andre Lutz, Florian Kristen
  • Patent number: 11938759
    Abstract: A tire includes a sipe, on a surface of a tread of a tire, extending across a tire equator from one side to another side of the tire equator. An end of the sipe on at least the one side is located at a tread edge or near the tread edge, and an inclination angle of the sipe relative to a width direction of the tread decreases from the tire equator towards the tread edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kohei Sahashi
  • Patent number: 11932056
    Abstract: In regions, divided by the tire equator, on both sides of the tread surface of a tire, the tire includes a grip area along the entire circumference of the tread, the grip area including a plurality of recessed lines, with a shape recessed toward an inner side of the tire from the outline of the tread surface, that extend from the tread edge side in a direction inclined relative to the tire equator and are arrayed in parallel, and a plurality of sipes that extend toward the tire equator in a direction inclined relative to the tire equator, starting in the grip area and terminating before the tire equator. The negative ratio in the grip area is higher than the negative ratio closer to the tire equator than the grip area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kohei Sahashi
  • Patent number: 11912072
    Abstract: In a first aspect of the invention, a pneumatic tire is provided, the pneumatic tire comprising two spaced apart beads, a tread portion, a pair of sidewalls extending radially inward from axially outer edges of the tread portion to join the respective beads, the axially outer edges of the tread portion defining a tread width, a carcass, an innerliner covering the carcass and enclosing a tire cavity when mounted on a rim, and multiple layers of open cell, noise damping foam strip material attached on top of each other to the innerliner within the tire cavity in an area radially below the tread portion, wherein each layer has an axial width from 20% to 80% of the tread width and a radial thickness from 5% to 20% of the tread width and said multiple layers fill together from 8% to 40% of the volume of the tire cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
    Inventors: Adrian Florin Nicula, Julien Alexandre Vaissaud, Peter Johann Cornelius Maus, Baudouin Duchene, Pierre Joseph Christian Bastin, Paul Leclerc
  • Patent number: 11912068
    Abstract: A tyre comprising a tread portion comprising first and second tread edges, a crown groove extending continuously in a tyre circumferential direction in a crown portion of the tyre, a first land portion between the first tread edge and the crown groove, and a second land portion extending from the crown groove towards the second tread edge. The first land portion is provided with first lateral grooves connected to the crown groove and extending from the crown groove in the direction to the first tread edge, and the second land portion is provided with second lateral grooves connected to the crown groove and extending from the crown groove in the direction to the second tread edge. The first land portion is divided into first blocks by the crown groove and the first lateral grooves, and the second land portion is divided into second blocks by the crown groove and the second lateral grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Oliver Knispel, Daniel Kunkel, Jaap Leendertse
  • Patent number: 11897287
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including first and second tread edges, a first shoulder land portion including the first tread edge, and a first shoulder circumferential groove located inwardly in a tire axial direction of and adjacent to the first shoulder land portion and extending continuously in a tire circumferential direction. The first shoulder land portion is provided with a plurality of first shoulder lateral grooves extending from the first shoulder circumferential groove across the first tread edge, each of the plurality of first shoulder lateral grooves has a pair of first groove walls, and the pair of first groove walls is provided with a pair of first chamfer portions that extends from the first shoulder circumferential groove to a first location beyond the first tread edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Kawanoue, Daiki Imai, Saori Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11884110
    Abstract: A tire includes a surface geometry arrangement on a surface of a sidewall portion. The surface geometry arrangement includes a ridge pair in which two ridges bend so as to intersect each other a multiple number of times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yosuke Komori
  • Patent number: 11865871
    Abstract: A tire has a tread portion provided with three or four circumferential grooves including a shoulder circumferential groove to form a shoulder land region and a middle land region. The middle land region is provided with a middle circumferential sipe and middle lateral sipes. The shoulder land region is provided with shoulder lateral grooves extending from the shoulder circumferential groove to a tread edge, and shoulder lateral sipes extending from the shoulder circumferential groove and terminated without reaching the tread edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Natsumi Funase, Kozo Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 11845303
    Abstract: Agricultural vehicle tire having tread (1) with bearing surface (10) on which main lugs (3) and shorter secondary lugs (3) are formed on each side of the equatorial mid-plane (XX?), each secondary lug (3) interposed between two main lugs (2). The main lugs (2) and secondary lugs (3) make up, in the radial direction, a lens (21, 31) of a first material, each lens (21, 31) surmounted by a second material extending to the contact face of the main lugs and the secondary lugs. The viscous modulus G?1 of the first material is at most 60% of the viscous modulus G?2 of the second material. The complex modulus G?1 of the first material differs from the complex modulus G?2 of the second material, the difference between these complex moduli being at most 30% of the complex modulus G?2 of the second material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Alexandra Curat, Florence Tran, Jean-Luc Cabioch, Anthony Monod, Eduardo Anton-Antolin
  • Patent number: 11833859
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a first shoulder block comprises at least one first shoulder circumferential groove which extends in a tire circumferential direction, the at least one first shoulder circumferential groove is respectively separated from a pair of first shoulder slits, a center block comprises at least one center circumferential groove which extends in the tire circumferential direction, and the at least one center circumferential groove is respectively contiguous with a pair of center slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Seiya Ishihara
  • Patent number: 11833858
    Abstract: Pneumatic vehicle tire having a profiled tread (3), side walls (5) and rounded tire shoulders, wherein, when the tire is mounted on a rim, the tread (3) has, in a first operating state with no load, a first contact surface and outside of the contact surface has profiled shoulder portions (4) extending in the direction of the side walls (5). The shoulder portions (4) have blocks (8a, 8b), between which grooves (9a, 9b) extending in the direction of the side walls (5) are provided and which are provided with sipes (11, 12, 13) and/or grooves extending in the direction of the side walls (5), wherein, in at least one further operating state of the tire mounted on the rim, the tire has a further contact surface, which is wider than the first contact surface and at least partially includes the shoulder portions (4) and the profiling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Ulrich Behr
  • Patent number: 11813896
    Abstract: A tire includes a visible outer surface being provided with a decorative region at least partially, the decorative region having 2 to 10 micro-protrusions per 1 mm2. The micro-protrusions protrude in a tapered manner toward outwardly of the tire. The micro-protrusions include first protrusions having a first taper angle and a second protrusions having a second taper angle greater than the first taper angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuta Sakakibara, Tomohiro Hamada, Tokuhito Nakajima, Sawa Ogihara, Suxiang Yuan
  • Patent number: 11807048
    Abstract: Tire (1) comprising a carcass reinforcement (2) surmounted by a crown reinforcement (3), itself capped by a tread (7), the said tread being connected to two beads (6) via two sidewalls (4) each having an exterior surface (40), at least one of the said sidewalls comprising at least two circumferential protrusions (5a, 5b, 5c), each sidewall (4) comprising an equator point (E) situated on the exterior surface of the sidewall radially at the same position as the axially outermost point (20) of the carcass reinforcement (2) in the unladen reference configuration, each circumferential protrusion (5a, 5b, 5c) being bounded by a radially upper wall (51), by a radially lower wall (52), and by a connecting wall (53) situated between the radially upper wall (51) and the radially lower wall (52) tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: William License, Jacques Babaud
  • Patent number: 11801715
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including four circumferential grooves between outboard and inboard tread edges, and five land portions divided by the circumferential grooves. The circumferential grooves include an inboard shoulder circumferential groove located nearest to the inboard tread edge in the circumferential grooves. The land portions include an inboard shoulder land portion disposed axially outward of the inboard shoulder circumferential groove and having a ground contact surface with the smallest axial width in the land portions. The inboard shoulder land portion is provided with inboard shoulder lateral grooves and inboard shoulder sipes. The inboard shoulder lateral grooves include inner ends away from the inboard shoulder circumferential groove. The inboard shoulder lateral grooves extend axially outward from the inner ends to a location beyond the inboard tread edge. The inboard shoulder sipes extends from the inboard shoulder circumferential groove to a location beyond the inboard tread edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiji Higuchi, Ryota Ikeda, Takashi Hagihara, Takuya Osawa, Takuya Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11787237
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a pair of sidewall portion 3. An outer surface of at least one of the pair of sidewall portions 3 includes a decorative region 5 extending in a tire circumferential direction. In the decorative region 5, a plurality of pattern elements 8 are arranged, whereby the decorative region 5 includes a plurality of circumferential pattern lines 6 in each of which the pattern elements 8 are aligned in the tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of radial pattern lines 7 in each of which the pattern elements 8 are aligned in a tire radial direction. In each circumferential pattern line 6, lengths in the tire circumferential direction of the pattern elements 8 are changed in the tire circumferential direction. In each radial pattern line 7, lengths in the tire radial direction of the pattern elements 8 are changed in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Ishida, Takahiro Kawanoue
  • Patent number: 11772433
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment, a spiral-shaped pattern is formed in a pattern forming area provided on a surface of a sidewall. The spiral-shaped pattern is formed by alternately providing ridges protruding from a reference surface in the pattern forming area and grooves recessed from the reference surface along a spiral while gradually changing the height and the depth with respect to the reference surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Kamada
  • Patent number: 11766898
    Abstract: A lateral groove provided in a tread portion has: an opening formed in a tread surface; a minimum portion having the smallest groove width, positioned radially inside the opening; and a maximum portion having the largest groove width, positioned radially inside the minimum portion. The width of the opening increases toward the outside in the tire axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11760136
    Abstract: A noise damper includes an open cell foam having a circumferential first tier and an interposed circumferential second tier including blocks and voids. The first tier has a radial height that is 3.0-8.0% of a section height and a first axial width. The second tier has a radial height that is 3.0-12.0% of a section height and a second axial width. The blocks span 10-30% of the second tier's inner circumference and the voids span 70-90% of the second tier's inner circumference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Jon I. Stuckey, Bradley S. Plotner
  • Patent number: 11760134
    Abstract: Tread (1) for a heavy-duty vehicle tire having, when new, a tread surface (10), with at least one evolving cut (2) comprising a part (22) hidden inside the tread which is delimited by opposing walls (221, 222) distant from one another by a maximum width Lc. The part (22) being extended towards the tread surface (10) by a sipe (21), opening into the hidden part (22) to be offset from one of the walls (221, 222) delimiting the hidden part to form a bridge situated radially over said hidden part (22). The tread having a plurality of grooves (4) open when new onto the tread surface (10), these grooves (4) opening into an evolving cut (2) to form a connecting region (41), the tread (1) further comprising, in at least 50% of the connecting regions (41, 42), a protuberance (5) extending over the entire height Hc of the hidden part (22) and over a maximum thickness Ep so as to act as a support for the bridge (211) situated radially over the hidden part (22) in the connecting region (41).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: Damien Bardin