Patents Examined by Robert C Dye
  • Patent number: 11975570
    Abstract: A tire includes a pair of shoulder main grooves and one or more center main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction and four or more rows of land portions defined by the pair of shoulder main grooves and the one or more center main grooves. Each of the pair of shoulder main grooves includes a groove opening portion having a wave-like shape with an amplitude in a tire width direction. Each of the pair of shoulder main grooves includes a groove bottom portion having a zigzag shape with an amplitude in the tire width direction. The groove opening portion in each of the pair of shoulder main grooves has an amplitude A1_sh having a relationship A1_sh<A2_sh with respect to an amplitude A2_sh of the groove bottom portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahide Ishizaka, Hiroto Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 11964514
    Abstract: A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes three or more circumferential main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, a plurality of lug grooves provided in a land portion defined by two circumferential main grooves, and a sipe provided between adjacent lug grooves. The sipe is a composite sipe having a two-dimensional portion and a three-dimensional portion. Among open ends on both sides of the lug groove, an open end on an identical side to an end portion of the sipe at which the two-dimensional portion is provided is provided with a raised bottom portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Toyoaki Endo
  • Patent number: 11964512
    Abstract: A utility vehicle tire having a tread with at least two circumferential channels (3), which are formed to a profile depth (T) and which separate central profile positives (1) and shoulder-side profile positives (2) from one another, the circumferential channels (3) having channel flanks (5a, 5b) toward the central profile positives (1) and the shoulder-side profile positives (2) having shoulder flanks (6) running toward the side wall. The channels have depressions delimited by a curved surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventors: Florian Kristen, Alexander Wuest
  • Patent number: 11958317
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a plurality of lands include a first land, the first land comprises a plurality of circumferential grooves that extend in a tire circumferential direction and that are arrayed in a tire axial direction, the plurality of circumferential grooves are respectively arranged at portions in the tire circumferential direction of the first land, the plurality of circumferential grooves include a first circumferential groove which is arranged in inwardmost fashion in the tire axial direction, and a second circumferential groove which is arranged in outwardmost fashion in the tire axial direction, and as viewed in a tire meridional section, an inner space area of the first circumferential groove is greater than an inner space area of the second circumferential groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihiko Kanamura
  • 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: 11951782
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes: a tire inner surface rubber layer constituting a tire inner surface; and an electrically conductive member, at least a part of the electrically conductive member being disposed on an inner cavity side of the tire inner surface rubber layer. The electrically conductive member includes a knitted fabric including a yarn, at least a part of the yarn having electrical conductivity, the knitted fabric having stretchability. The electrically conductive member is electrically connected to an electrical device provided in the tire. The electrically conductive member is disposed extending along the tire inner surface in a tire radial direction, and a direction in which the electrically conductive member extends aligns with a direction in which the knitted fabric has stretchability. The knitted fabric is configured by mixing a yarn having electrical conductivity and a yarn having non-electrical conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Tanno, Shun Sato
  • Patent number: 11945182
    Abstract: An assembly (10) for positioning sensors within a tire is provided that has first and second bead sensors (14,16), and first and second side-wall/shoulder sensors (18, 20). A first actuator (30) moves the sensors in a radial direction of the tire, and a second actuator (32) moves the first and second bead sensors in the axial direction of the tire. A third actuator (34) is present and moves the first and second bead sensors in the axial direction relative to the first and second sidewall/shoulder sensors. A fourth actuator (36) moves the first and second bead sensors in the axial direction relative to one another, and a fifth actuator (38) moves the first and second sidewall/shoulder sensors in the axial direction relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin
    Inventors: Christopher Gillis, Michael Hansana, Jonathan Kyle Justice, James Secord, Alexandre Nadeau
  • Patent number: 11945183
    Abstract: A crimping station comprising a crimping tool designed to crimp a sleeve around a first end portion of a thread and around a second end portion of a thread, said crimping station comprising a sleeve preparation subassembly which has a feed device that supplies a metal strip and conveys said strip as far as a shaping device designed to plastically deform said strip in order to give said strip a concave curved cross section, so as to obtain a preformed strip, and then as far as a cutting device which is designed to sever a portion of length of said preformed strip in order to obtain a sleeve preform that a loading tool places within the crimping tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Mic
    Inventors: Loic Berlioux, Christophe Amyot
  • Patent number: 11945263
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a land portion includes a chamfered portion formed on an edge portion of the land portion on a ground contact edge side, and a lug groove and a narrow groove disposed correspondingly to the chamfered portion. The chamfered portion is formed on the edge portion on a ground contact edge side, and has a chamfered width that increases toward a circumferential direction in the road contact surface of the land portion. The lug groove terminates in the land portion on one end, and is opened to a central portion of the chamfered portion in a longitudinal direction on the other end. The narrow groove is opened to an edge portion of the land portion on an equatorial plane side on one end, and terminates in the vicinity of a maximum width position of the chamfered portion on the other end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Haruna Mizushima
  • Patent number: 11926177
    Abstract: In a tire having a specified mounting direction, groove area ratios Rin and Rout in ground contact regions on the vehicle inner and outer sides, respectively, satisfy Rin>Rout, average land portion areas Ain and Aout of intermediate regions Min and Mout on the vehicle inner and outer sides, respectively satisfy Ain<Aout, the number of blocks Nin, Nout in the intermediate regions Min, Mout, respectively, satisfy Nin?1.5×Nout, total sipe lengths Sin, Sout in the intermediate regions Min, Mout, respectively, satisfy Sin<Sout, and sipes formed in the intermediate region Mout have a three-dimensional structure in a range of 70% or more of a sipe length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenji Horiuchi
  • 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: 11904639
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion including a row of blocks arranged in a tire circumferential direction divided by lateral grooves. Each block includes a block tread surface, a first block sidewall surface located on a leading side in a rotation direction of the block, and a leading-side corner portion between the block tread surface and the first block sidewall surface. The leading-side corner portion includes a first portion and a second portion extending in a tire axial direction. The first portion is formed sharper than the second portion. In a plan view of each block, an angle ?1 of the first portion to the tire circumferential direction is larger than an angle ?2 of the second portion to the tire circumferential direction. Each lateral groove has a groove width (A) at the first portion that is larger than a groove width (B) at the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Yohei Sato
  • Patent number: 11904561
    Abstract: A green tire includes a plurality of sheets of green rubber having a substantially circular shape, with each sheet having a tread region disposed along a circumference. A plurality of objects are sandwiched between adjacent sheets of green rubber in the tread region. Each object is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of steel, polyester, nylon, carbon fiber, aramid, fiber glass, cotton, hemp, polyurethane and other plastic, other synthetic or natural fibers and other metal materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew V. Haidet, Douglas B. Costlow, Robert W. Asper
  • Patent number: 11884109
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a pair of first center blocks and two or more second center blocks are alternately arranged in the tire circumferential direction to form a block row of a center land portion. Additionally, the block row of the center land portion is obtained by coupling in a row in the tire circumferential direction and in a zigzag shape via coupling grooves each including a groove bottom portion shallower than first and second inclined lug grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11872846
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes: a first main groove and a second main groove extending in a tire circumferential direction; and a first land defined by the first main groove and the second main groove, wherein the first land includes a plurality of slits extending across the first land in a tire width direction and open to the first main groove and the second main groove, the plurality of slits include first slits each having a first raised portion where a part of a groove bottom is raised and second slits each having a second raised portion where a part of a groove bottom is raised to be lower than the first raised portion, the first raised portion includes a first sipe extending along a direction where the first slits extend, and the first slits and the second slits are arranged alternately with each other in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tsubasa Miyagaki
  • Patent number: 11872848
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a groove opening portion of an inner side shoulder main groove and a groove opening portion of an inner side center main groove have edge portions with a straight shape. A groove opening portion of an outer side center main groove has an edge portion chamfered in a zigzag shape. A groove width Wg1 of the inner side shoulder main groove, a groove width Wg2 of the inner side center main groove, and a groove width Wg3 of the outer side center main groove have a relationship Wg1<Wg3 and Wg2<Wg3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Keisuke Nakazaki
  • Patent number: 11794528
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a sidewall region comprises a protruding portion that protrudes in a tire width direction from a base surface, the protruding portion comprises an apical surface which is arranged at an end toward an exterior in the tire width direction, at least one side surface that is respectively contiguous with the base surface and the apical surface, a first linear projection which protrudes at a boundary between the apical surface and the at least one side surface, a second linear projection which protrudes at a boundary between the basal surface and the at least one side surface, and a third linear projection which protrudes in such fashion that a first end of the third linear projection is contiguous with the first linear projection, and a second end of the third linear projection is contiguous with the second linear projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Toyo Tire Corporation
    Inventor: Tomonori Ueno
  • Patent number: 11787238
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a plurality of protrusion portions extending along a tire side surface of a tire side portion longitudinally intersecting a tire circumferential direction or a tire radial direction and being provided at intervals in the tire circumferential direction, and each of the protrusion portions includes an external contour that includes a plurality of main external contour portions having different curvatures, and a connection portion connecting between the main external contour portions, the external contour projecting from the tire side surface in a cross-sectional shape in a longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Kodama
  • Patent number: 11780272
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread portion. The tread portion is provided with grooves each having a pair of groove walls. At least one of the groove walls is provided on a surface thereof with a pattern portion having a plurality of micro-protrusions. The pattern portion is provided with the micro-protrusions at a density of 1 to 5 per 1 mm2 of the groove wall area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shingo Nobukuni