Patents Examined by Nicholas J Weiler
  • Patent number: 12269298
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, an inner shoulder land portion includes shoulder lug grooves that extend in the tire lateral direction. Additionally, an inner second land portion includes the through lug groove that extends through the inner second land portion in the tire lateral direction. A center land portion includes a single circumferential narrow groove extending in the tire circumferential direction and center lug grooves that each open at one end portion to the edge portion on the vehicle width direction inner side of the center land portion and terminate at the other end portion, communicating with a circumferential narrow groove. The shoulder lug groove, the through lug groove, and the center lug groove form one communication lug groove extending continuously from a tire ground contact edge toward a tire equatorial plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Masataka Kubota, Noboru Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 12240274
    Abstract: A tire includes shoulder main grooves, circumferential narrow grooves disposed between the shoulder main grooves and each having a groove width of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, and five or more rows of land portions defined by the shoulder main grooves and the circumferential narrow grooves. A first land portion includes S-shaped sipes that extend through the first land portion in a width direction. A second land portion includes S-shaped sipes that extend through the second land portion in the width direction, and the second land portion is a rib including a continuous road contact surface in a tire circumferential direction when the tire comes into contact with the ground. Connection portions of the S-shaped sipes of the first and second land portions with respect to the circumferential narrow grooves are at identical positions in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD
    Inventor: Daisen Hayashi
  • Patent number: 12214624
    Abstract: A tread portion of a pneumatic tire includes: an intermediate land portion being delimited by an inner circumferential main groove and an outer circumferential main groove on one side in a tire lateral direction across a tire center line as a boundary; and a side land portion adjoining the outer circumferential main groove and being provided outward of the outer circumferential main groove in the tire lateral direction. At least one land portion of the intermediate land portion and the side land portion has a swelling profile line. In a region of the land portion, a composite sipe is provided. In the composite sipe, a first sipe extending linearly in a sipe depth direction and a second sipe (S2) extending in a wave manner in the sipe depth direction are connected. The second sipe in the composite sipe is disposed so as to be connected to the outer circumferential main groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Toyoaki Endo
  • Patent number: 12172471
    Abstract: A tire includes a circumferential narrow groove disposed in a tread portion center region and having a groove width of 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and a first land portion defined by the circumferential narrow groove and a second land portion located further on a tire equatorial plane side than the first land portion and adjacent to the first land portion. Additionally, the first and second land portions include chamfered portions, respectively in edge portions on the circumferential narrow groove side. Additionally, a circumferential length L33 of the chamfered portion of the second land portion has the relationship L33<L24 with respect to a circumferential length L24 of the chamfered portion of the first land portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Daisen Hayashi
  • Patent number: 12168372
    Abstract: A tire can include a three-dimensional sipe formed into a tire tread. The three-dimensional sipe can be formed in a tread element of the tire tread and can include a three-dimensional pattern. The three-dimensional sipe can have a first frequency of oscillation at a top end of the three-dimensional sipe and a second frequency of oscillation at a bottom end of the three-dimensional sipe with the first frequency of oscillation being different from the second frequency of oscillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: Bridgestone Bandag, LLC
    Inventor: Andrew D. Cerny
  • Patent number: 12162315
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including a first shoulder land portion provided with first shoulder lateral grooves extending from a first tread edge to a first shoulder circumferential groove, a second shoulder land portion provided with second shoulder lateral grooves extending from a second tread edge and terminating within the second shoulder land portion, a first middle land portion provided with first middle lateral grooves extending from the first shoulder circumferential groove and terminating within the first middle land portion, a second middle land portion provided with outer and inner second middle lateral grooves respectively extending from the second crown circumferential groove and the second shoulder circumferential groove and terminating within the second middle land portion, and a crown land portion provided with crown lateral grooves extending from the first crown circumferential groove and terminating within the crown land portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuya Meguro
  • Patent number: 12162311
    Abstract: In a tire, first and second center land portions each include a circumferential narrow groove and first and second lateral grooves. The first and second lateral grooves of the first center land portion are disposed overlapped with each other in a tire circumferential direction. The first and second lateral grooves of the second center land portion are disposed overlapped with each other in the tire circumferential direction. The first and second lateral grooves of the first center land portion are disposed offset with respect to the first and second lateral grooves of the second center land portion in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Masashi Noritake
  • Patent number: 12128713
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire of the present disclosure includes: a pair of main grooves, lateral grooves and longitudinal grooves, wherein a center land, repeats, in the tire circumferential direction, four center blocks, each of the four center blocks includes a recessed portion that is open to the main groove, the lateral groove or the longitudinal groove and has one end closed, when the recessed portions provided in the four center blocks are defined as first to fourth recessed portions, the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion extend in a direction inclined to one direction with respect to the tire equator line, and the third recessed portion and the fourth recessed portion extend in a direction inclined to another direction with respect to the tire equator line, and a groove width of each of the first to fourth recessed portions is 5.0 mm or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiki Sato
  • Patent number: 12122190
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction on the tread surface, and in widthwise outermost land portions, widthwise grooves extending from the tread edges inward in the tire width direction and widthwise sipes extending from the tire widthwise inner edge of the widthwise grooves inward in the tire width direction and connecting to the circumferential main groove. Each widthwise sipe includes a widened portion, by the sipe bottom, with a larger sipe width than at the tread surface. A rectangle ratio is less than 0.8. In a tire radial region containing the widened portion, the widened portion includes a portion extending at a first angle relative to the tire width direction. In plan view of the tread surface, each widthwise sipe extends along the tire width direction or at a second angle smaller than the first angle relative to the tire width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keita Yumii
  • Patent number: 12049108
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion having a first tread edge and a first buttress portion extending inward in a tire radial direction from the first tread edge. The first buttress portion has a plurality of stepped surfaces protruding outward in a tire axial direction. At least one of the stepped surfaces is a first stepped surface including a plurality of stepped portions having different protruding heights in the tire axial direction at the same height position in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shinsuke Yukami
  • Patent number: 12036822
    Abstract: Proposed is a tire including a pattern forming area provided on a sidewall to display a pattern of predetermined shape, wherein the pattern forming area is formed by continuously arranging a plurality of hexagon-shaped unit patterns, and the unit patterns existing on the edges of the pattern forming area are cut off in shapes to correspond to the shape of the pattern forming area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: HANKOOK TIRE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hee Sung Jang
  • Patent number: 11951772
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a tread portion includes a main groove extending in a circumferential direction, and land portions defined by the main groove. A center region is a region where a center land portion included in the land portions is closest to a tire equatorial plane. Shoulder regions are each a region between a position corresponding to 85% of a width of the belt layer in a lateral direction and an end portion of the belt layer in the lateral direction, and intermediate regions are each a region between the center region and a corresponding one of the shoulder regions. A relationship among a tire average thickness Gc in the center region, a tire average thickness Gsh in the shoulder regions, and a tire average thickness Gm in the intermediate regions is within a range of 1.05?(Gc/Gsh)?1.35 and satisfies Gc?Gm>Gsh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masatoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11951776
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a block group including shoulder blocks adjacent to each other with a shoulder lug groove therebetween and side blocks adjacent to each other with a side groove positioned on an extension of a shoulder lug groove between the shoulder blocks. Contour lines of side surfaces of the shoulder blocks on the outer side in the tire width direction and contour lines of the top surfaces of the side blocks extend on identical straight lines. Contour lines of the top surfaces of the side blocks, contour lines on a side away from the side groove between the side blocks, and contour lines of the narrow grooves formed on the side blocks each include straight portions extending along the tire radial direction on the side of the shoulder blocks and inclined portions extending in a converging manner toward the side groove between the side blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Yousuke Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 11932058
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion 2. At least one middle lateral groove 10 includes first and second middle tie bars 16 and 17. First and second middle sipes 21 and 22 are provided on a ground-contact surface 15s of at least one middle block 15. The first middle sipe 21 includes a termination end 21a located on an inner side in a tire axial direction with respect to the first middle tie bar 16. The second middle sipe 22 includes a termination end 22a located on an outer side in the tire axial direction with respect to the second middle tie bar 17 and on the inner side in the tire axial direction with respect to the termination end 21a of the first middle sipe 21. On the ground-contact surface 15s of the middle block 15, no groove and no sipe are provided in a first region 23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoki Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 11932057
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire. A tread portion includes a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, a plurality of lateral grooves extending in a tire lateral direction, and a plurality of blocks defined by the longitudinal grooves and the lateral grooves. Notch portions are formed in portions of a freely-selected pair of blocks adjacent to each other across a longitudinal groove, the portions facing the longitudinal groove. The notch portions face with each other across the longitudinal groove. Each of the notch portions has a notch width and a notch depth larger on a center side in an extension direction of the longitudinal groove than on an outer side in the extension direction of the longitudinal groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11926176
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes, on a tread surface, circumferential main grooves extending in a tread circumferential direction, and land portions defined between circumferential main grooves adjacent in a tread width direction among the circumferential main grooves, or by a circumferential main groove and a tread edge. The land portions include widthwise grooves (and/or widthwise sipes), extending in the tread width direction, each including a gradually decreasing groove (sipe) width portion in which a groove (sipe) width gradually decreases from the tread surface towards an inner side in the tire radial direction, a constant groove (sipe) width portion that extends from the gradually decreasing groove (sipe) width portion towards the inner side in the tire radial direction and has a constant groove (sipe) width, and a branched groove (sipe) portion branching and extending from the constant groove (sipe) width portion towards the inner side in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasunori Abe
  • Patent number: 11919335
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire of the present disclosure includes, on a tread surface, a plurality of circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions defined between circumferential main grooves adjacent in the tire width direction among the plurality of circumferential main grooves or by the circumferential main grooves and tread edges. The land portions include at least one circumferential sipe extending in the tire circumferential direction. The circumferential sipe includes a plurality of widened portions arranged in the tire circumferential direction. In a reference state, each widened portion is formed only from a portion that, from one side towards the other side in the tire circumferential direction, extends from the tread surface inward in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11904636
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes, in a land portion, at least one circumferential sipe extending in the tire circumferential direction. At a first position, from the tread surface towards the sipe bottom, the sipe width gradually decreases from the tread surface to a first changing point and then gradually increases from the first changing point to the sipe bottom. At a second position, from the tread surface towards the sipe bottom, the sipe width gradually increases from the tread surface to a second changing point and then gradually decreases from the second changing point to the sipe bottom. The sipe width at the tread surface and at the sipe bottom gradually decreases in the tire circumferential direction from the first position towards the second position, and the sipe width in a tire radial intermediate portion gradually increases in the tire circumferential direction from the first position towards the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11897290
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including a first tread edge, a first shoulder circumferential groove, and a first shoulder land portion demarcated by the first shoulder circumferential groove to include the first tread edge. The first shoulder land portion is provided with first shoulder lateral grooves extending from the first shoulder circumferential groove to the first tread edge. One of the first shoulder lateral grooves includes first and second groove walls which face each other, and a tie-bar. The tie-bar includes an outer surface extending along a ground contact surface of the first shoulder land portion, the outer surface being connected to the first and second groove walls. The outer surface includes a first edge connected to the first groove wall, and a second edge connected to the second groove wall, the second edge having a length smaller than a length of the first edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuya Meguro
  • Patent number: 11850891
    Abstract: A tire includes a first land portion with a ground contacting surface provided with inclined sipes inclined in a first direction to the tire axial direction. The inclined sipes include first and second inclined sipes arranged adjacently in the tire circumferential direction. Each first inclined sipe includes a first deep-bottom portion located on a first circumferential edge side, and a first shallow-bottom portion located on a second circumferential edge side and having a smaller depth than the first deep-bottom portion. Each second inclined sipe includes a second deep-bottom portion located on the second circumferential edge side, and a second shallow-bottom portion located on the first circumferential edge side and having a smaller depth than the second deep-bottom portion. Each second deep-bottom portion is arranged so as to overlap a projection region in which a respective first deep-bottom portion is expanded parallel to the tire axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki Yamaguchi, Mari Mishima