Patents Examined by Alexander D Booth
  • Patent number: 11697260
    Abstract: Methods for treating a cured inner liner as well as treated, cured inner liners resulting from such methods are disclosed. Also disclosed are tires containing the treated inner liners. The methods include treatment of the lower surface of inner liner surface with a rubber-containing liquid to produce a rubber-containing film thereupon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Kung-Ching Liao, Jared J. Griebel, Brian S. Alexander, Bradley S. Plotner, Ross W. Widenor
  • Patent number: 11691368
    Abstract: The method comprises the steps of a) forming a carcass composed of a cured rubber material and b) overmolding, on the carcass, at least one thermoplastic elastomer material in order to finish the pneumatic tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
    Inventors: Frederic Pialot, Thomas Fabre, Pierre Wiel
  • Patent number: 11691367
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus of handling tyres. The method includes: —generating a first relative motion between a detecting line (4) and a tyre (100) for acquiring the position of a first edge (106) of a tyre (100) with respect to a reference (5); —generating a second relative motion between said detecting line (4) and said tyre (100) and acquiring the position of a second edge (107) of said tyre (100) with respect to said reference (5); —positioning a gripping device and gripping said tyre (100) on the basis of the positions of said first and second edge (107) with respect to said reference (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Mirto, Stefano Giovanni, Gaetano Lo Presti
  • Patent number: 11679571
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a tire (1) equipped with a communication module (20) consists in successively, and in the order required by the architecture of said tire, laying rubber products, notably profiled elements (50) and reinforcing elements on a given support in order to yield a green tire (1), then in vulcanizing the green tire to yield a tire (1), wherein, prior to laying one of the rubber profiled elements (50) on the green tire, a slot (52) is created starting from a surface of the rubber profiled element (50) and the communication module (20) is introduced into the slot (52).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Luc Bestgen, Henri Hinc, Severine Glibert
  • Patent number: 11673356
    Abstract: The invention discloses a tire building device and a tire building method. The tire building device includes a lateral-longitudinal-orthogonal 1 rail unit, a transferring ring, a carcass application unit, a bead placement unit, a belt application unit, a building unit, a shaping unit, and a tire unloading mechanism; the lateral and longitudinal orthogonal rail unit divides the tire building device into four areas, and also establishes the connection between the units through the transferring ring. The tire building method, including: 1) adhere the bead and tire carcass compound and then sent to the building unit; 2) send the belt compound to the building unit, 3) compound the carcass compound and belt compound into a carcass and sent to the shaping unit; 4) wind the carcass around the tread to form a green tire and sends it to the tire unloading mechanism for disassembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: TIANJIN SAIXIANG TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Xiaochen Zhang, Bo Sun, Songting Yang, Jian Li, Tao Rong, Peng Zhang
  • Patent number: 11639079
    Abstract: A process for applying noise-reducing elements to a tyre for vehicle wheels. A plurality of noise-reducing elements are arranged on a feeding belt movable along a predetermined feeding direction. The noise-reducing elements are subsequently aligned along the feeding direction and brought into mutual contact, to then be transferred onto a service plane arranged downstream of the feeding belt along the feeding direction and having, on an upper surface thereof, a continuous film which supports a layer of adhesive material. The layer of adhesive material is applied onto a lower surface of each of the noise-reducing elements taking it from the continuous film. The noise-reducing elements are then transferred one by one onto a conveyor belt arranged downstream of the service plane along the feeding direction. The noise-reducing elements are finally positioned one by one on a radially inner surface of a tyre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Ivan Gildo Boscaino, Maurizio Marchini, Adriano Girotto
  • Patent number: 11633929
    Abstract: Disclosed is a bead-apex storage system and a method for handling carriers, each carrier supporting a stack of bead-apexes stacked in a stacking direction and alternated with spacers separating the bead-apexes, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a plurality of storage stations for storing the carriers and a transfer station for transferring one of the plurality of bead-apexes to a tire building machine, wherein the bead-apex storage system further includes a spacer gripper for lifting one or more of the spacers from one of the carriers in one of the plurality of storage stations and for carrying said one or more lifted spacers to the transfer station, wherein the bead-apex storage system includes a spacer gripper base for supporting the spacer gripper, wherein the spacer gripper base is movable from the transfer station to any one of the plurality of storage stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Inventors: Keimpe Theunis Bijl, Antonius Willibrordus Joseph Stout
  • Patent number: 11628694
    Abstract: A tire including a rubber sheet which covers an end of the carcass ply which has been folded back and an RFID tag serving as an electronic component provided between the bead filler and the rubber sheet, in which the bead filler is formed in an annular shape, the rubber sheet is formed in an annular shape by one end side and another end side of a long sheet being joined, and the RFID tag serving as the electronic component is disposed between the bead filler and the rubber sheet at a joint part which is a portion of the rubber sheet which is joined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Harunobu Suita
  • Patent number: 11618229
    Abstract: A tire turn-up apparatus for selectively engaging a cylindrical tire building drum may include a base and a first plurality of finger assemblies. The tire building drum may be a selected drum from a group of drums of different drum diameters. Each finger assembly may have a backstop connected to the base and a finger pivotally connected to the backstop. Each finger may be moveable between a radially retracted and extended position to turn-up the tire carcass. Each finger may be radially adjustable on its respective backstop to align with different drum diameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Nikolas R. Tomassoni, Phillip T. Brasher, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11584100
    Abstract: Method for controlling the feed of semifinished products in a tyre building process, said method comprising: feeding a semifinished product (10) into a building station (30) adapted to build, through said semifinished product (10), a structural component of a tyre; performing, in an acquisition zone (AZ), a verification to verify the presence of at least one defect of said semifinished product (10); generating a notification signal (NS) as a function of said verification; activating, as a function of said notification signal (NS), a discard device (60), configured for discarding at least one portion of said semifinished product (10) comprising said at least one defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Cesare Emanuele Amurri, Nicola Il Grande, Davide Lupo Conti
  • Patent number: 11584099
    Abstract: The present invention is relative to a method for building tyres for vehicle wheels and to a transfer device (16) of an apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels. The centring device (16) comprises: an annular support structure (18); gripping elements (19) arranged as a ring on the annular support structure (18) and having gripping surfaces (20) directed radially towards a longitudinal axis (Z-Z) of the transfer device (16); a measurement device (30) mounted on the annular support structure (18). The measurement device (30) is configured for detecting the centring between the transfer device (16) and a drum (12, 13) situated within the transfer device (16). The transfer device (16) is configured for picking up the tyre being processed (14, 15) from the drum (12, 13) on which the tyre being processed is arranged or for depositing a tyre being processed (14, 15) on the drum (12, 13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Erika Vaniglia, Stefano Boracco, Marco Fabbretti
  • Patent number: 11584168
    Abstract: Provided is a tire provided with a mark capable of reducing the air resistance during tire rotation while maintaining good visibility. A tire is provided with a mark on a tire side portion. The mark includes a first mark located on an outer side in a tire radial direction, and a second mark located inward of the first mark in the tire radial direction. Each of the first mark and the second mark includes a recess that is recessed from a side profile surface of the tire side portion. A depth of the recess of the first mark from the side profile surface is smaller than a depth of the recess of the second mark from the side profile surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Oba, Kenji Ueda, Masatomo Nakamura, Koji Hayashi, Masaki Terashima, Masahiro Nagase, Masahiro Tatsuta, Junya Tamai, Masaya Ito
  • Patent number: 11577547
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a partial tie rubber layer is disposed between a carcass layer and an innerliner layer in a limited manner across an entire region excluding end portions near a pair of bead portions; end surfaces on both sides in a tire lateral direction of the partial tie rubber layer are inclined surfaces that form an acute angle with respect to a surface of the partial tie rubber layer on the carcass layer side; and an inclination angle of the inclined surfaces with respect to the surface of the partial tie rubber layer on the carcass layer side is from 20° to 60°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Miyoshi
  • Patent number: 11534953
    Abstract: A system for molding an object includes an articulated mold having an axis and a plurality of mold portions configured to collectively define a molding cavity for shaping the object when arranged in respective molding positions. The system includes a plurality of actuators, each operatively coupled to a respective mold portion and configured to move the respective mold portion along the axis from the respective molding position toward a respective ejecting position for releasing the object. The system includes a controller in communication with each of the plurality of actuators and configured to independently activate each of the plurality of actuators such that one of the plurality of mold portions moves along the axis from the respective molding position toward the respective ejecting position while at least one other of the plurality of mold portions remains stationary relative to the object in order to at least partially support the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Friendship Products LLC
    Inventors: B. Everett Hendrickson, Craig Severn, Paul McCutcheon, Timothy Carlson
  • Patent number: 11534996
    Abstract: A turn-up device, comprising a building machine main shaft, an outer sleeve device, a ply down finger assembly, a bladder device, a bead setting device, and a bead locking device. The outer sleeve device, the ply down finger assembly and the bladder device are all sleeved on the building machine main shaft. The outer sleeve device is located on the outer sides of the ply down finger assembly and the bladder device along the radial direction of the building machine main shaft. The bead setting device is located on the outer sleeve device. A tire building method using the turn-up device can improve the building quality of tire beads, improve the service life of capsule, and provide promising precision of carcass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: Mesnac Co., Ltd., Eve Rubber Institute Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Deying Dai, Qingyong Bu, Zhao Sun, Suxia Tian, Dan Qin
  • Patent number: 11505009
    Abstract: A method for making a blind hole in a prefabricated tire and a method for inserting an insert to such a blind hole are disclosed. The former comprises arranging available a prefabricated tire comprising tread blocks forming the tread of the tire, and thereafter machining such a blind hole to a tread block of the tire that the blind hole has a first cross section at a first depth and a second cross section at a second depth, wherein the second cross section is greater than the first cross section and the second depth is greater than the first depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NOKIAN RENKAAT OYJ
    Inventors: Esko Kukkonen, Jari Ojala, Teemu Soini, Atte Antikainen, Jani Räisänen
  • Patent number: 11453187
    Abstract: Provided are a pneumatic tire and a method for manufacturing the pneumatic tire. A partial tie rubber layer is selectively disposed in each region between a carcass layer and an innerliner layer and on both sides in a tire lateral direction of a tread portion excluding a center region of the tread portion. End portions on both sides of the partial tie rubber layers in the tire lateral direction form inclined surfaces acutely angled with respect to a surface of the partial tie rubber layer on the carcass layer side. The inclined surfaces have an inclination angle from 20° to 60° with respect to the surface of the partial tie rubber layer on the carcass layer side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hogyun Kang
  • Patent number: 11433717
    Abstract: A process for applying noise-reducing elements to a tyre for vehicle wheels. A plurality of noise-reducing elements are arranged on a feeding belt movable along a predetermined feeding direction. The noise-reducing elements are subsequently aligned along the feeding direction and brought into mutual contact, to then be transferred onto a service plane arranged downstream of the feeding belt along the feeding direction and having, on an upper surface thereof, a continuous film which supports a layer of adhesive material. The layer of adhesive material is applied onto a lower surface of each of the noise-reducing elements taking it from the continuous film. The noise-reducing elements are then transferred one by one onto a conveyor belt arranged downstream of the service plane along the feeding direction. The noise-reducing elements are finally positioned one by one on a radially inner surface of a tyre.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Ivan Gildo Boscaino, Maurizio Marchini, Adriano Girotto
  • Patent number: 11400671
    Abstract: An assembly for processing bead-apexes includes a weighing device for measuring the weight of one of the bead-apexes and at least one station for supplying or receiving the bead-apexes to or from the weighing device in a supply direction or a discharge direction, respectively. The assembly further includes a frame for supporting the at least one station, wherein the weighing device has a weighing member for receiving and supporting one of the bead-apexes and a base member connected to and forming a base for the weighing member. The weighing device is arranged for measuring the weight of the one bead-apex on the weighing member, while the weighing member is arranged for keeping the one bead-apex stationary during the weighing, while the frame of the assembly and the base member of the weighing device are supported independently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Inventors: Theodorus Gijsbertus Gerardus Teunissen, Peter Beekman
  • Patent number: 11396151
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and to a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels, wherein sidewalls (11) are applied on opposite sides of a carcass sleeve (12) placed on a shaping drum (13). The application of the sidewalls (11) comprises: arranging each sidewall (11) as a ring around application levers (24) of a respective support (18), making an axial appendage (35) of the sidewall (11) protrude axially beyond the free ends (25) of the respective application levers (24); radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) of each support (18) so as to make the respective sidewall (11) radially expand; axially approaching the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to the respective half-drum (17) up to engaging the axial appendage (35) with the carcass sleeve (12) and radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to adhere the sidewalls against the carcass sleeve (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Luigi Antonio Badolato, Luigi Bosio, Dario Giambersio, Enrico Sabbatani