Patents Examined by Sedef E Paquette
  • Patent number: 11135794
    Abstract: A method for managing a carcass structure building line, a plant and a process for building tyre carcass structures, wherein the plant includes a carcass structure building line provided with a plurality of stations including an unloading station and n building stations. A group of forming drums being processed includes m forming drums being processed defining a first size of carcass structure being processed. Three groups of entering forming drums include respective entering forming drums, defining a second size of carcass structure being processed. A pair of support elements being processed includes a first and a second support element being processed and three pairs of entering support elements respectively include a first and a second entering support element. The invention also relates to a method for managing a carcass structure building line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventor: Davide Conti
  • Patent number: 11135795
    Abstract: Cord ply joiner for a tire includes a first pressurizer having first pressing member and first pressure receiving member in upper and lower sides, and a second pressurizer having second pressing member and second pressure receiving member in the upper and lower sides. A first code ply positioning mechanism positions a first code ply by bringing a tail end of the first code ply into contact with a side surface of the second pressure receiving member, a first code ply fixing mechanism lowers the cord end pressing member so the first cord ply is fixed, and a second code ply positioning mechanism positions the tip of the second code ply by bringing the tip into contact with a side surface of the cord end pressing member. The first pressurizer and the second pressurizer are brought close to each other, whereby a shearing force is applied to an overlapped portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kei Onishi, Hiroshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 11130302
    Abstract: A bead core coating method for coating an annular bead core with a belt-shaped rubber sheet including the steps of: winding the rubber sheet extruded on an outer circumferential surface of a rotary drum; sticking a part of the rubber sheet to an outer surface of the bead core which is in rotation; and winding a remaining part of the rubber sheet stuck on the outer surface of the bead core while sequentially sticking the remaining part along the outer surface of the bead core, wherein air is blown to a sheet portion including the end that is not stuck to the outer surface of the bead core in the currently-winding rubber sheet in a first direction toward the end along a sheet surface or a second direction inclined toward an outer surface side of the bead core as compared with the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Hashimoto, Ryoshi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11123938
    Abstract: A bead core coating method for coating an annular bead core with a belt-shaped rubber sheet, including the steps of: winding the rubber sheet around an outer circumferential surface of a rotary drum; sticking a central portion of the rubber sheet to an outer surface of the bead core; and winding both ends in the width direction of the rubber sheet stuck on the outer surface of the bead core while sequentially sticking both ends in the width direction along the outer surface of the bead core from the central portion in the width direction toward each end in the width direction, wherein in the step of sticking, air is blown to a gap generated between the central portion in the width direction of the rubber sheet and the outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum at a place where the rubber sheet is peeled from the rotary drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Hashimoto, Ryoshi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11104090
    Abstract: A method of controlling operation of a tire filling mixing machine, by: (a) mixing a rubber/polyurethane and a catalyst in a first mixer to form a virgin polyurethane; (b) grinding cured polyurethane core bits in a grinder; (c) mixing the virgin material and the ground material in a second mixer thereby forming a mixed flatproofing material; (d) injecting the mixed flatproofing material into a tire; (e) measuring the ratio of ground material to virgin material in the mixed flatproofing material; (f) comparing the measured ratio of ground material to virgin material to a pre-stored preferred ratio of ground material to virgin material; and (g) increasing or decreasing the relative percentages of virgin material and ground material entering the second mixer by an amount that is a fraction of the difference between the measured ratio and the pre-stored preferred ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: CARLISLE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, LLC
    Inventors: Jeff Little, John Bishop
  • Patent number: 11104092
    Abstract: To improve durability by preventing breakage of each roller piece for a long time. It is a pressure roller for pressing a surface of a tire member made from an unvulcanized rubber member. The pressure roller has a support shaft and a plurality of elastically deformable roller pieces supported by the support shaft and arranged in the axial direction of the support shaft. Each roller piece has a pressing surface for contacting with the surface of the tire member. Each roller piece is independently rotatably supported by the support shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Onimatsu, Kimitaka Yoshimura, Santa Momii, Takeshi Kawazu, Takaji Arai, Noboru Ishihara, Yu Nosaka, Toshiyuki Yamagiwa
  • Patent number: 11090981
    Abstract: A tyre for vehicle wheels comprises a tread band on which a radially external tread surface and a tread pattern are defined; the tread band comprising: a central region of the tread band, extending circumferentially about an equatorial plane of the tyre over at least 30% of an effective width of the tread band; a first and a second shoulder region extending, on opposite sides of the central region, each over at least 20% of the effective width of the tread band; the tread pattern, on the first and second shoulder regions and the central region, comprises transverse grooves comprising a bottom and a pair of opposed lateral walls. These lateral walls extending from the bottom towards the tread surface with a first inclination, and joining to the tread surface by chamfers having a second inclination greater than the first inclination relative to the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Diego Speziari, Carlo Ravizza, Gianfranco Colombo
  • Patent number: 11090891
    Abstract: A toroidal forming drum and a process for building tyres. The toroidal forming drum (23) is expanded within a shaped carcass sleeve (12), for supporting the carcass sleeve (12) against an abutment surface (“S”) externally provided by the forming drum (23). An elementary semi-finished product (54a, 54b) is applied around the shaped carcass sleeve (12), by pressing the elementary semi-finished product (54a, 54b) towards the abutment surface (“S”). The abutment surface (“S”) has circumferential rows of solid portions (40) alternated with hollow portions (41). The solid portions (40), arranged along axially opposite circumferential edges of the abutment surface (“S”), have a transverse size comprised between 10% and 60% of a transverse size presented by the solid portions (40) arranged in proximity to an axial centreline plane of the abutment surface (“S”).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Silvio Montanari, Maurizio Marchini, Oliver Haupt, Mario Mariani, Davide Lupo Conti
  • Patent number: 11090892
    Abstract: A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of the intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of the pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Maurizio Marchini, Henrique Scarmagnan Saraiva, Marco Lepore, Christian De Col
  • Patent number: 11084238
    Abstract: A method for controlling the thickness of a continuous elongated element made of elastomeric material, applied according to coils wound on a forming support, includes: advancing a head end of the continuous elongated element toward the forming support; subjecting, during the advancement, the continuous elongated element to a first stretching with a first stretch coefficient before applying on the forming support; and subjecting, during the advancement, the continuous elongated element to a second stretching with a second stretch coefficient during the application on the forming support. During the first stretching, a span of the continuous elongated element adjacent to the head end is stretched with a supplementary stretch coefficient greater than the first stretch coefficient, in a manner so as to confer, also to the span adjacent to the head end, a stretch and a section similar or substantially equivalent to those of the rest of the continuous elongated element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Marco Fabbretti, Andrea Crepaldi, Cesare Emanuele Amurri, Maurizio Marchini
  • Patent number: 11077633
    Abstract: A method of forming a non-pneumatic tire is provided that includes the steps of providing an outer shear band ring (12) that has an inner diameter. An intermediate section (14) is provided that has a supporting structure. An outer diameter (102) of the intermediate section (14) in the uncompressed state is greater than the inner diameter (70) of the outer shear band ring (12). The intermediate section is compressed from the uncompressed state to a compressed state, and is inserted inside of the outer shear band ring (12). Compression of the intermediate section is released when the intermediate section is inside of the outer shear band ring, and the intermediate section (14) moves from the compressed state to a state of interference fit with the outer shear band ring (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin
    Inventors: Eric Rivers, Clayton Bohn, Jr., Brian D Wilson
  • Patent number: 11065919
    Abstract: A sealing device comprising a flexible holding strip having an adhesive layer on a first surface, wherein the strip is configured for attachment to an inner surface of a tubeless tire via the adhesive layer, and a plurality of flexible flags attached to a second surface of the flexible holding strip opposite the first surface, wherein the plurality of flags is attached to the second surface at a fixed widthwise edge of each of the plurality of flags and wherein the plurality of flags are configured to seal a hole in the tubeless tire when the strip is attached to the inner surface of the tubeless tire is provided. Methods of protecting tires by attaching a sealing device are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: King Abdulaziz University
    Inventor: Abdulhameed Fouad A Alkhateeb
  • Patent number: 11065915
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes cross belts and one or more protective belts provided in the tire radial direction. A width of a widest protective belt is greater than a width of any of the cross belts. In the tire profile, a maximum projection position of the widest protective belt is A, an end position of the widest protective belt is B, a position at which a straight line a passing through position A extending in the direction normal to a tread surface intersects with the tread surface is A?, and a position at which a straight line b passing through position B extending in the direction normal to the tread surface intersects with the tread surface is B?. An angle formed between a first straight line that links position A and position B and a second straight line that links position A? and position B? is from 0° to 15°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Inventor: Risa Tauchi
  • Patent number: 11052622
    Abstract: A tire manufacturing method includes: a step of arranging rubber inside a spring antenna of an electronic component having a communication function, a step of interposing by rubber sheets the electronic component having the spring antenna into which rubber was arranged, and a setting step of arranging the electronic component interposed by rubber sheets in a tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Kazumasa Hosomi
  • Patent number: 11052706
    Abstract: A green tire includes a plurality of sheets of green rubber having a substantially circular shape, wherein each sheet of green rubber includes an upper ring and a lower ring, and each sheet of green rubber further includes a plurality of spoke portions extending from the upper ring to the lower ring. The green tire further includes a plurality of reinforcements. Each reinforcement is disposed between adjacent sheets of green rubber. At least one reinforcement is sandwiched between the upper rings of adjacent sheets of green rubber, and at least one reinforcement is sandwiched between the spoke portions of adjacent sheets of green rubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS TIRE OPERATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew V. Haidet, Douglas B. Costlow
  • Patent number: 11046039
    Abstract: A manufacturing method includes feeding a master roll 8a from a master roll table 10 to a belt table 14, and cutting the master roll 8a between the master roll table 10 and the belt table 14. In the step of feeding the master roll 8a from the master roll table 10 to the belt table 14, the master roll 8a is fed by holding a front part of the master roll 8a by a first hand 30 and a rear part of the master roll 8a by a second hand 40, and the front part of the master roll 8a is continuously held by the first hand 30 from start to end of the feeding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Junji Itakura
  • Patent number: 11046112
    Abstract: A tire assembly includes an assemblage formed of first and second impregnated woven or knitted structures, a bearing structure, and at least one sacrificial holder. The first impregnated woven or knitted structure includes a first woven or knitted fabric and a first layer of a first polymeric composition. The second impregnated woven or knitted structure includes a second woven or knitted fabric and a second layer of a second polymeric composition. The bearing structure includes bearing elements connecting the first and second woven or knitted fabrics together. Each sacrificial holder is structured to hold temporarily the first and second impregnated structures in contact with each other, connecting the first and second woven or knitted fabrics together. When the first and second impregnated woven or knitted structures are separated from each other, each sacrificial holder breaks before any breakage of the bearing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Sébastien Rigo, Florian Vilcot, Daniel Beaulaton, Bastien Limozin, Damien Fombelle, Magaly Brousseau
  • Patent number: 11040508
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a tyre is provided, in particular a run-flat tyre. The method includes providing a drum with a first shrink section and a second shrink section. Each shrink section is provided with a shrink surface that is radially movable. The method includes moving the shrink surfaces radially inwards with respect to the central axis from a level position to a shrink position in which the drum, at the shrink surfaces, has a circumference with a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, while creating a partial vacuum between the shrink surfaces and a first tyre layer at the first shrink section and the second shrink section. The method further includes shrinking the first tyre layer onto the shrink surfaces in the shrink position under the influence of the partial vacuum. A drum for use in the aforementioned method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: VMI HOLLAND B.V.
    Inventors: Martin De Graaf, Dave Papot
  • Patent number: 11034193
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pneumatic tire with a bead having enhanced endurance, more particularly, a pneumatic tire with a bead having enhanced stiffness in which at least one bead core is provided and a carcass does not have a turn-up structure at an end thereof such that stiffness of the bead and sidewall is enhanced. The pneumatic tire includes bead cores in which multi-layered bead wire cords are coiled, bead fillers adhering to the bead cores having at least two rows, and a carcass ply disposed between the bead cores of the bead fillers, the carcass ply having a linear shape without a turn-up structure, wherein a left bead filler and a right bead filler including the bead cores including the bead wire cords are disposed at both sides of the carcass ply, and each of the left and right bead fillers has a diameter decreasing upward from a bead base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: HANKOOK TIRE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Gui Jung Sohn, Hun Cheol Shin
  • Patent number: 11034111
    Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a pivoted dual roller tire sidewall and body ply stitching apparatus for stitching tire components, the apparatus including a first roller having a toroidal shape and connected to a first supporting arm, a second roller having a toroidal shape and connected to a second supporting arm and a supporting member connected to the first roller, the second roller and a third supporting arm wherein the second supporting arm is longer than the first supporting arm and the first roller and the second roller are configured to pivot on the supporting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Sandro Daidoji, Christopher D. Ellis, Phillip T. Brasher, Jr., Jason J. Para, Blair Kim