Patents Examined by Nicholas J Weiler
  • Patent number: 11667161
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a sidewall extending in a tire radial direction, the sidewall comprises a first side block which protrudes outwardly in a tire axial direction, the first side block comprises a first base portion which extends in the tire radial direction, and a first inclined portion and second inclined portion which extend from an inner end in the tire radial direction of the first base portion, the first inclined portion extends increasingly toward a first side in a tire circumferential direction as one proceeds toward an interior in the tire radial direction, and the second inclined portion extends increasingly toward a second side in the tire circumferential direction as one proceeds toward the interior in the tire radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shingo Sano
  • Patent number: 11654727
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a plurality of side blocks include a first side block which is contiguous with the exterior in a tire axial direction of a first tread block, and a second side block which is contiguous with the exterior in the tire axial direction of a second tread block; the first side block comprises a first apical surface which is arranged at an outer end of the first side block in the tire axial direction; the second side block comprises a second apical surface which is arranged at an outer end of the second side block in the tire axial direction, and area of the second apical surface is greater than area of the first apical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiki Sato
  • Patent number: 11654726
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a sidewall portion of which outer surface is provided with a decorative portion extending in the tire circumferential direction in an arc shape. The decorative portion is formed from a first pattern area and a second pattern area having different surface aspects. When the decorative portion is divided into a number N of decorative zones (N>2) by equally-spaced parallel straight lines which are perpendicular to a reference center line extending in a tire radial direction, percentages of occupied area of the first pattern area in the respective decorative zones are gradually increased from the radially innermost decorative zone to the radially outermost decorative zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Mikita Seto, Takashi Okada, Satoshi Wada
  • Patent number: 11654719
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided. Side regions located outward of shoulder regions of a tread portion in a tire lateral direction are each provided with a pair of side blocks opposite each other across a side groove extending in the tire lateral direction, iteration elements each including the side groove and the pair of side blocks are arranged at an interval in a tire circumferential direction. A road contact surface of each of the side blocks has a recess/protrusion shape including a reference surface located on a side closer to the side groove and a step portion located on a side farther from the side groove and raised from the reference surface. The side groove includes a raised bottom portion raised from a groove bottom and coupling the pair of side blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11639078
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a plurality of side blocks include a first side block and a second side block that are adjacent in a tire circumferential direction, the first side block comprises a first recess that is recessed in a tire width direction and that is disposed at a location which is separated from an edge of an end in the tire circumferential direction of the first side block, and the second side block comprises a first convexity that protrudes in the tire width direction and that is disposed at a location which is separated from an edge of an end in the tire circumferential direction of the second side block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shingo Sano
  • Patent number: 11633987
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including a circumferential groove and a land portion defined by the circumferential groove, the land portion including a land sidewall facing the circumferential groove. The land sidewall includes a first surface, a second surface located on a groove centerline side of the circumferential groove with respect to the first surface, and a stair portion formed between the first surface and the second surface. The stair portion varies its radial height stepwise in two or more steps in a longitudinal direction of the circumferential groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinsuke Yukami
  • Patent number: 11623479
    Abstract: A tire having a tread portion that is provided with sipes. Four sipe segments of the sipe include a first sipe segment, a second sipe segment, a third sipe segment, and a fourth sipe segment. At least one of the first sipe segment and the third sipe segment includes, in the cross section orthogonal to the length direction, an oscillated portion which extends in the tire radial direction, while oscillating in the lateral direction orthogonal to the length direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11618285
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a first land portion that is provided on a sidewall portion, projects to an outer side in a tire width direction, and extends in a tire circumferential direction over the entire tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of second land portions that are provided in a central portion in a tire radial direction of the first land portion, project to an outer side in the tire width direction, extend in the tire circumferential direction, and are disposed apart from each other in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Matsubara
  • Patent number: 11597239
    Abstract: A tyre with a concave mark provided on a surface of a sidewall portion. A bottom surface of the concave mark is divided into a shadow area and a remaining main area. The shadow area is an area along a shadow wall portion that is in the shadow of a wall portion of the concave mark when light is shed to the concave mark from a direction. The shadow area has a plurality of minute protrusions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11584170
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion 16, a sidewall portion 14, a buttress portion 18, and a hollow portion 50. A cross-sectional shape of a bottom surface of the hollow portion 50 is a curved shape in which a plurality of arcs having different radii of curvature are disposed in a tire radial direction and adjacent arcs are connected at a contact point C where the adjacent arcs have a common tangent line, or is a shape in which a plurality of arcs having different radii of curvature are connected by a straight line connecting contact points where the adjacent arcs have a common tangent line. An outside end 32a, in the tire radial direction, of a sidewall rubber 32 provided on the sidewall portion 14 is located on an outside Ro in the tire radial direction from the groove bottom 36B1 of the shoulder main groove 36B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Norihiko Kodama
  • Patent number: 11584167
    Abstract: At least one mark in the form of a character or a figure and a surface geometry arrangement region can be disposed on a surface of a sidewall portion. The surface geometry arrangement region can include a first region formed adjacent to the mark outside the mark. The first region can have a plurality of first micro projections disposed therein. The first region can extend radially from a vanishing point on the surface of the sidewall portion toward the mark so as to allow the mark to be stereoscopically viewed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Nakajima, Tetsuya Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11554617
    Abstract: In a first aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to a pneumatic tire comprising two spaced apart bead portions, a tread portion, a pair of sidewalls extending radially inward from axially outer edges of the tread portion to join the respective bead portions, the axially outer edges of the tread portion defining a tread width, a carcass, an innerliner covering the carcass and defining a tire cavity, and multiple layers of 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 at least two of the layers are interlocked to each other along their length so as to hold the layers together in a radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    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: 11518197
    Abstract: A tire that includes a decorative pattern formed on a surface of a sidewall portion. The decorative pattern is formed such that a plurality of ridges that extend in a tire radial direction are aligned in a tire circumferential direction so as to form gaps. A transverse cross-section of each ridge is tapered so as to gradually reduce a length along the surface such that the greater a distance from the surface is, the less the length along the surface is. The decorative pattern is structured so as to satisfy expressions (1) and (2): 20?A?40??(1) 0.15?C?0.25??(2) wherein A represents a taper angle (degree) of the ridge, and C represents a minimum length (mm) of each gap measured along the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Sawa Ogihara
  • Patent number: 11505008
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pneumatic tire including: in a tread surface of a tread portion, a pair of main grooves (center main groove and shoulder main groove) arranged side by side in a tire lateral direction and extending in a tire circumferential direction; land portions (middle land portion) defined by the main grooves; a plurality of lug grooves arranged side by side in the tire circumferential direction and bent and folded back, each of the lug grooves including one end communicating with the shoulder main groove, the other end terminating within the middle land portion, and a bending point in a middle of a path from one end to the other end; and sipes extending across the lug grooves, at least one side of the sipe with respect to the lug groove being formed in a zigzag shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ebiko
  • Patent number: 11498365
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire with a surface provided with a reflective layer that reflects light, the reflective layer including a transparent globule group composed of transparent globules. At least some of the transparent globules are each configured to reflect incident light incident into the transparent globule from outside, at an interface with the outside of the transparent globule, and to emit the light to the outside of the transparent globule as reflected light. The transparent globules are each configured to cause the reflected light to include more amount of non-retroreflected light than retroreflected light, the non-retroreflected light moving further away from an optical path of the incident light according to a distance from the transparent globules, being increased. The transparent globules each have an optical path of the non-retroreflected light with an angle difference of from 2.0 degrees to 2.5 degrees from the optical path of the incident light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Tanno, Shusaku Tomoi
  • Patent number: 11491828
    Abstract: A tire noise reduction device is applicable for a tire, and the tire including an tread, an inner surface, and a cavity defined inside the inner surface and configured to accommodate the tire cavity noise absorber. The tire cavity noise absorber contains at least one sound absorbing material, each of the at least one sound absorbing material includes an air chamber defined therein, a contacting face, and an extending face opposite to the contacting face. The contacting face is adhered on a portion of the inner surface corresponding to the tread by using adhesive material, and each sound absorbing material further includes a channel passing through the extending face, communicating with the air chamber, and facing a central direction of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Cheng Shin Rubber Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chi Min Liu, Yuan Hsiang Lo, Teng Kai Cheng, Sheng Jie Lin
  • Patent number: 11491822
    Abstract: A modulus at 300% elongation of a cap tread ranges from 3.0 Mpa to 7.0 Mpa, a modulus at 300% elongation of a undertread ranges from 10.0 Mpa to 20.0 Mpa, and a modulus at 300% elongation of an earthing tread ranges from 10.0 Mpa to 20.0 Mpa. Additionally, an earthing tread is made from a rubber material with a volume resistivity of 1×10{circumflex over (?)}7?·cm or less. The undertread includes a thickened portion in a region between the earthing tread and an edge portion of a block. The gauge of the undertread gradually increases from the earthing tread toward the edge portion of the block due to the thickened portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Isamu Kishizoe
  • Patent number: 11458773
    Abstract: A tyre for running on rough terrain includes a tread portion. The tread portion includes a crown region, middle regions, and shoulder regions. The crown region is provided with a plurality of crown blocks. The middle regions are provided with a plurality of middle blocks. The shoulder regions are provided with a plurality of shoulder blocks. Each of the middle blocks is connected with at least one of the crown blocks by a crown tie bar and connected with at least one of the shoulder blocks by a shoulder tie bar. A land ratio of the shoulder regions is 90% or more and 115% or less of a land ratio of the crown region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Masahiro Hikita
  • Patent number: 11446965
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a sipe includes an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side; the edge on the leading side and the edge on the trailing side each include a chamfered portion shorter than a sipe length of the sipe; a non-chamfered region in which other chamfered portions are not present is provided at portions facing the chamfered portions of the sipe; and for all chamfered portions, including at least the chamfered portions of the sipe, formed on grooves other than main grooves, a total projected area AIN of the chamfered portions located on a vehicle mounting inner side and a total projected area AOUT of the chamfered portions located on a vehicle mounting outer side satisfy a relationship AIN>AOUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanori Uemura, Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa
  • Patent number: 11446964
    Abstract: A tyre includes a tread portion having a tread surface provided with grooves extending in a tyre axial direction. The grooves each include an opening formed on the tread surface, a minimum portion located inwardly in a tyre radial direction of the opening and having a groove width being locally minimum, and a maximum portion located inwardly in the tyre radial direction of the minimum portion and having a groove width being locally maximum in a region inwardly in the tyre radial direction of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Nakajima