Patents Examined by Brendon Charles Darby
  • Patent number: 12227031
    Abstract: A tire includes a first middle land portion having circumferentially extending first and second longitudinal edges. The first middle land portion is provided with middle lateral grooves. At least one of the middle lateral grooves includes a first groove portion extending in the tire axial direction from the first longitudinal edge, and a second groove portion extending in the tire axial direction from the second longitudinal edge. The first groove portion and the second groove portion are offset in the tire circumferential direction to form a pair of circumferential groove edges between a pair of groove edges of the first groove portion and a pair of groove edges of the second groove portion. A maximum groove depth of the first groove portion is different from a maximum groove depth of the second groove portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiki Horiguchi, Yoshifumi Kawagoe
  • Patent number: 12220947
    Abstract: A tire includes a pair of sidewall portions. An outer surface of at least one of the sidewall portions includes at least one concave mark recessed from a reference surface. The or each concave mark includes a bottom surface and an inner wall surface. The bottom surface includes a peripheral region and a main region. The peripheral region includes a shadow region and a non-shadow region. The shadow region and the non-shadow region are each formed with an uneven surface provided with minute protuberances. A width of the uneven surface of the non-shadow region measured in a direction perpendicular to a contour of the or each concave mark is smaller than a width of the uneven surface of the shadow region measured in a direction perpendicular to the contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Kawagoe, Koichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 12214623
    Abstract: A tread portion includes a crown land portion including first and second longitudinal edges extending in the tire circumferential direction. The crown land portion is provided with first, second and third crown sipes. The first, second and third crown sipes open at the ground contact surface via respective chamfer portions. The first and third crown sipes extend from the first longitudinal edge and have closed ends in the ground contact surface. The second crown sipes extend from the second longitudinal edge and have closed ends in the ground contact surface. Each first crown sipe has a constant opening width in a longitudinal direction of the sipe. Each second crown sipe has a constant opening width in a longitudinal direction of the sipe. Each third crown sipe has an opening width which decreases continuously from the first longitudinal edge toward the closed end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Tahara, Yoshifumi Kawagoe, Mari Mishima
  • Patent number: 12214621
    Abstract: A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes a pair of circumferential grooves and a plurality of siped lug grooves extending in a tire width direction between the pair of circumferential grooves and disposed at intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the siped lug grooves includes a lug groove extending from a first circumferential groove of the pair of circumferential grooves and closed, and a sipe extending from a closed end of the lug groove toward a second circumferential groove and connected to the second circumferential groove. The plurality of siped lug grooves include at least one first siped lug groove extending while bending with an extension direction of the lug groove differing from an extension direction of the sipe, and at least one second siped lug groove extending linearly with the extension direction of the lug groove aligning with the extension direction of the sipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 12202298
    Abstract: In a tread pattern of a tire, a main groove side of a shoulder lug groove in a side of a first circumferential main groove inclines with respect to the width direction. In each of first intermediate lug grooves and inner lug grooves, a direction from one side toward the other side in the width direction is inclined to a side identical to a side to which the main groove side is inclined. The first intermediate lug grooves overlap with extension lines of each of the shoulder lug grooves extending from a closed end of each of the shoulder lug grooves along an inclination direction of the main groove side toward each of closed ends of the inner lug grooves. A second intermediate lug groove extends between two of the extension lines adjacent in the circumferential direction, in a direction along the extension lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 12187077
    Abstract: A tire includes a mounting direction indicator that indicates a tire mounting direction with respect to a vehicle. The tire includes a first circumferential groove and a second circumferential groove extending intermittently or continuously in a tire circumferential direction. Additionally, the second circumferential groove is located further on an inner side than the first circumferential groove in a vehicle width direction in a state in which the tire is mounted on a vehicle. Additionally, a groove volume V1 of the first circumferential groove and a groove volume V2 of the second circumferential groove have the relationship V1<V2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Kaneko
  • Patent number: 12097726
    Abstract: A tire comprises a tread portion including a first land portion provided with axially extending first lateral sipes. The first lateral sipe has a first sipe wall and a second sipe wall, and opens at a ground contacting top surface via a chamfer portion. The chamfer portion comprises a first sloped surface and a second sloped surface respectively connected to the first sipe wall and the second sipe wall. In a top view of the first land portion, the width W1 of the first sloped surface is larger than the width W2 of the second sloped surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukako Kitamura, Yuya Meguro
  • Patent number: 12090793
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including first and second tread edges, three or more circumferential grooves, and four or more land portions. The circumferential grooves include a first shoulder circumferential groove nearest to the first tread edge. Each land portion is provided with only sipes and is not provided with lateral grooves. The land portions include a first shoulder land portion having the first tread edge, and a first middle land portion adjacent to the first shoulder land portion. The first middle land portion is provided with first middle sipes traversing the first middle land portion completely in the tire axial direction. The first shoulder land portion is provided with first shoulder sipes extending from the first shoulder circumferential groove to the first tread edge. The first shoulder sipes have a circumferential pitch length smaller than a circumferential pitch length of the first middle sipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Kitatani, Kozo Yoshimura, Ryota Ikeda
  • Patent number: 12064998
    Abstract: In a tire, each of first and second circumferential grooves include groove portions arranged discontinuously in a row in a circumferential direction. The groove portions are arranged in a staggered manner in the circumferential direction. A distance D1 from an equatorial plane to a center line of the first circumferential groove and a distance D2 from the equatorial plane to a center line of the second circumferential groove satisfy 0.90?D2/D1?1.10. A maximum groove width W1 of the groove portion of the first circumferential groove and a maximum groove width W2 of the groove portion of the second circumferential groove satisfy 0.90?W2/W1?1.10. A maximum circumferential length L1 of the groove portion of the first circumferential groove and a maximum circumferential length L2 of the groove portion of the second circumferential groove satisfy 0.90?L2/L1?1.10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Kaneko
  • Patent number: 12059929
    Abstract: A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes: first and second circumferential main grooves; a first circumferential narrow groove between the first and second circumferential main grooves, the first circumferential narrow groove having a narrower width than the first and second circumferential main grooves; an intermediate lug groove extending from the second circumferential main groove toward the first circumferential narrow groove, the intermediate lug groove being closed without reaching the first circumferential narrow groove; and a sipe extending from the closed end of the intermediate lug groove to connect the closed end with the first circumferential narrow groove. No lug grooves are between the first circumferential main groove and the first circumferential narrow groove, and a groove wall of the first circumferential main groove on a side of the first circumferential narrow groove circumnavigates without interruption in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11999196
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes, on a tread surface, circumferential main grooves extending in the tread circumferential direction, and land portions defined between circumferential main grooves adjacent in a tread width direction among the circumferential main grooves or by the circumferential main grooves and tread edges. The land portions include widthwise sipes (or grooves) extending in the tread width direction, and each widthwise sipe (or groove) includes a tread surface side sipe (or groove) portion extending from the tread surface inward in a tire radial direction, a first branched sipe (or groove) portion branching and extending from the tread surface side sipe (or groove) portion inward in the tire radial direction, and second branched sipe (or groove) portions branching and extending from respective tire radial inner ends of the first branched sipe (or groove) portion inward in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shimizu
  • 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