Patents Examined by Steven D. Maki
  • Patent number: 10688831
    Abstract: Particular embodiments of the invention include a tire tread having a plurality of tread elements including one or more shoulder elements arranged along a first lateral side edge of the tread. The one or more shoulder elements include a recessed terminal side spaced apart from the first lateral side edge, where the recessed terminal side is offset in a direction of the tread width towards the second lateral side edge from a pair of adjacent terminal sides of the one or more shoulder elements. A sipe is arranged in connection with a submerged void within the tread thickness, where the sipe and submerged void extend in a direction of the tread width towards a second lateral side edge from the recessed terminal side such that the sipe and submerged void are recessed from the pair of adjacent terminal sides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin
    Inventors: Robert Cecil Lawson, Sadi Kose, Phillip Check
  • Patent number: 10688827
    Abstract: A tire has a cap rubber formed of nonconductive rubber and forms a ground surface, and a conductive portion provided in at least one side end portion of a pair of side end portions in both ends in a tire width direction. The conductive portion is formed of a conductive rubber, and reaches a side surface of the cap rubber from the ground surface through an inner portion of the cap rubber. The conductive portion is relatively small in a thickness in the ground surface and a side surface of the cap rubber, is relatively large in the maximum thickness of an intermediate portion between the ground surface and the side surface of the cap rubber, and is formed into a crescent shape which is curved into an outer side in a tire width direction and an outer side in a radial direction, in a tire meridian cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nagai
  • Patent number: 10682888
    Abstract: A block segment sections and outer rib-shaped sections are arranged in an outer shoulder land section. An end portion of one of vertical groove sections in one of L-shaped groove sections, which is at the other side in the tire circumferential direction communicates with one of the horizontal groove sections in another L-shaped groove section of the L-shaped groove sections, which is adjacent to the L-shaped groove section in the tire circumferential direction, via one of second communicating sections. In addition, positions of first communicating sections and the second communicating section in the tire width direction are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiichi Kato
  • Patent number: 10668775
    Abstract: A tire 1 comprises a tread portion 2 provided with an outer shoulder main groove 3 in a part closest to an outside tread edge (To) and an outer crown main groove 4 on a side of an inside tread edge (Ti) of the outer shoulder main groove 3 both extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, and outer transverse grooves 9 connecting between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer crown main groove 4 so that an outer shoulder land region 7A is defined between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer shoulder main groove 3 and an outer middle land region 7B is defined between the outer shoulder main groove 3 and the outer crown main groove 4. A maximum axial width Ws of the outer shoulder land region 7A is larger than a maximum axial width Wm of the outer middle land region 7B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Sho Nakajima
  • Patent number: 10668774
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a plurality of circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, a plurality of lug grooves extending in the tire width direction, and a plurality of blocks partitioned by the circumferential main grooves and the lug grooves. Also, the block has a bent groove having a bent shape that is convex in one direction and that extends in the tire circumferential direction dividing the block into two in the tire width direction. Also, the blocks that are adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction are disposed such that the bend directions of the bent grooves are alternately reversed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiraku Kouda
  • Patent number: 10654320
    Abstract: A tire includes a tread having a crown main groove and shoulder main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction. The crown groove has crown long side portions and crown short side portions inclined in the opposite directions and alternately formed in a zigzag shape extending in the tire circumferential direction, the shoulder main grooves have shoulder long side portions and shoulder short side portions inclined in the opposite directions and alternately formed in a zigzag shape extending in the tire circumferential direction, the crown main groove and shoulder main grooves are formed such that a crown long-short ratio La/Lb is larger than a shoulder long-short ratio Lc/Ld, where La is a length of each crown long side portion, Lb is a length of each crown short side portion, Lc is a length of each shoulder long side portion, and Ld is a length of each shoulder short side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Maehara
  • Patent number: 10654321
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with crown main grooves, center axial grooves and center blocks including a siped center block with a first sipe. The siped center block has a pair of substantially v-shaped opposite first and second block side walls each having an outwardly protruding vertex. The first sipe has a wavy configuration at least partially. One end of the first sipe is positioned on one side in the tire circumferential direction of the vertex of the first block side wall, whereas the other end of the first sipe is positioned on other side in the tire circumferential direction of the vertex of the second block side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Kae Ito
  • Patent number: 10654316
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire characterized by comprising the tread and the crosslinked rubber composition, of the present invention, wherein the tread and the crosslinked rubber composition comprise two or more kinds of rubber components and a filler and have a volume of the low density region of 35% or more, a volume of the void portion of 7.5 or less and a filler distribution D represented by the following formula (I) of 2.0 or less are excellent in abrasion resistance. D=(A1/B1)/(A0/B0)??(I) In the formula (I), A1 represents a volume fraction of a rubber component A in a filler gel, B1 represents a volume fraction of a rubber component B in a filler gel, A0 represents a volume fraction of a compounded rubber component A, B0 represents a volume fraction of a compounded rubber component B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Mashita, Hiroyuki Kishimoto, Ryota Kitago
  • Patent number: 10647159
    Abstract: A tyre for vehicle wheels having a tread pattern includes: a) two circumferential grooves, which define a first and a second shoulder region, and one central region; b) a plurality of asymmetric transverse grooves having a substantially ā€œVā€ shape, which extend for the whole width of the tread, including an alternate sequence of a first and a second asymmetric transverse groove defining an alternate sequence of a first and a second asymmetric module; and c) a plurality of lateral transverse grooves, which includes one first lateral transverse groove extending for the whole width of the first shoulder region and for a portion of the central region of the first asymmetric modules, and one second lateral transverse groove extending for the whole width of the second shoulder region and for a portion of the central region of the second asymmetric modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.p.A.
    Inventors: Gianfranco Colombo, Stefano Montesello, Roberto Sangalli
  • Patent number: 10647160
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire can improve the heat dissipation effect in the tread portion while guaranteeing land portion rigidity and can also suppress degradation of the heat dissipation effect. The pneumatic tire includes a narrow groove (10) on a tread surface (1), extending at an inclination to the tire circumferential direction, the groove width (W1) being smaller than the groove depth (D1), an air inflow part (11) opening to the tread surface (1) and formed on at least one of the groove walls (10c) of the narrow groove (10) that face each other in the tire circumferential direction, and a wear prevention portion (12) formed by a protrusion or concavity on a groove wall (10c) that faces the other groove wall (10c) on which the air inflow part (11) is formed or on the tread surface (1) connecting to the groove wall (10c) that faces the other groove wall (10c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shun Ogane
  • Patent number: 10647158
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire of this disclosure includes on a tread surface four or five circumferential grooves, and includes a pair of shoulder land portions, a pair of intermediate land portions, and one or a pair of central land portions partitioned thereon, wherein: in a tread widthwise cross sectional view at an unloaded condition when the tire is mounted to an applicable rim and applied with a prescribed internal pressure, when drawing a virtual arc R1 protruding to a tire radial outer side, of which a center of curvature is located on a tire equatorial plain, across four tread widthwise edges adjacent to the circumferential grooves of outlines of the pair of intermediate land portions, a correlation among each protrusion amount t1, t2 and t3 of outlines of the central land portions, the intermediate land portions and the shoulder land portions from the virtual arc R1 satisfies: t1<t2, and t3<t2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shingo Honda
  • Patent number: 10639944
    Abstract: A tire has a cap rubber formed of nonconductive rubber and forms a ground surface, and a conductive portion provided in at least one side end portion of a pair of side end portions in both ends in a tire width direction. The conductive portion is formed of a conductive rubber, and reaches a side surface of the cap rubber from the ground surface through an inner portion of the cap rubber. The conductive portion is relatively small in a thickness in the ground surface and a side surface of the cap rubber, is relatively large in the maximum thickness of an intermediate portion between the ground surface and the side surface of the cap rubber, and is formed into a crescent shape which is curved into an inner side in a tire width direction and an inner side in a radial direction, in a tire meridian cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nagai
  • Patent number: 10639932
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire of the present invention characterized by comprising: bead cores, a carcass ply, an inner liner disposed at an inner side than the carcass ply in a direction of a tire diameter, and a tread disposed at an outer side than the carcass ply in a direction of a tire diameter and having a volume of the low density region of 35% or more at elongation by an applied stress of 1.5 MPa, a volume of the void portion of 7.5% or less at elongation by an applied stress of 3.0 MPa and a filler dispersibility index ?G* shown by the following equation (I) of 3 or less and the crosslinked rubber composition having a volume of the low density region of 35% or more at elongation by an applied stress of 1.5 MPa, a volume of the void portion of 7.5 or less at elongation by an applied stress of 3.0 MPa and a filler dispersibility index ?G* shown by the following equation (I) of 3 or less are excellent in abrasion resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Mashita, Hiroyuki Kishimoto, Ryota Kitago
  • Patent number: 10632795
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion having a pair of central block rows arranged on both sides of a tire equator. Each of the central block rows includes a plurality of central blocks arranged in a circumferential direction of the tire. Each of the central blocks includes a ground contacting face with an axially inner block edge facing the tire equator. The inner block edge includes a first inclined edge and a second inclined edge inclined in an opposite direction to the first inclined edge so that the inner block edge protrudes toward the tire equator. The first inclined edge includes a first circular arc portion with a center located on the side of the tire equator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10632797
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire according to one embodiment, at least one land portion provided on a tread portion includes a first lateral groove traversing the land portion, and a second lateral groove ending inside the land portion, these lateral grooves being arranged at intervals along a tire circumferential direction. A land portion section located between the first lateral groove and the second lateral groove includes a first inclined surface portion in a chamfered shape at an edge portion extending along the first lateral groove, a second inclined surface portion in a chamfered shape at an edge portion extending along the second lateral groove, and, at one edge portion in a tire width direction, a third inclined surface portion in a chamfered shape intervening between the first inclined surface portion and the second inclined surface portion to connect the two and extending along the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Naoya Kubo
  • Patent number: 10632793
    Abstract: A tire (10) includes, in a tread surface (11): at least two circumferential grooves (12, 13) extending in a tire circumferential direction; and a land portion (14) sandwiched between the circumferential grooves (12, 13). The land portion (14) has a resonator (15) including: an air chamber (16); a first branch groove (17); and a second branch groove (18). The two circumferential grooves consist of: a first circumferential groove (12) having a smaller cross-sectional area in a cross section along a plane perpendicular to extending direction of the circumferential grooves; and a second circumferential groove (13) having a larger cross-sectional area in a cross section along a plane perpendicular to extending direction of the circumferential grooves. A centroid (C) of the air chamber (16) is situated to a side closer to the first circumferential groove (12) with respect to a tire widthwise center (CL) of the land portion (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tokumasa Akashi
  • Patent number: 10632789
    Abstract: A tire has a cap rubber formed of a nonconductive rubber and forms a ground surface, and a conductive portion provided in at least one side end portion of a pair of side end portions in both ends in a tire width direction. The conductive portion is formed of a conductive rubber, and reaches a side surface of the cap rubber from the ground surface through an inner portion of the cap rubber. The conductive portion is the smallest in thickness in the ground surface, is relatively large in thickness in the side surface of the cap rubber, is gradually increased in thickness from the ground surface to the side surface of the cap rubber, and is formed into a trumpet shape which is curved into an inner side in a tire width direction and an inner side in a radial direction, in a tire meridian cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nagai
  • Patent number: 10632794
    Abstract: A tire has a tread having a first tread edge, a second tread edge on the opposite side, and multiple inclined main grooves formed such that each inclined main groove is obliquely extending from one of the first and second tread edges toward a tire equator and is terminated without reaching the other one of the first and second tread edges. The inclined main grooves are formed such that each of the inclined main grooves includes a tire axial direction outer side portion obliquely extending in an inclined direction, a tire axial direction inner side portion inclining in the inclined direction, and a middle portion formed between the tire axial direction outer side portion and the tire axial direction inner side portion and inclining in the opposite inclined direction with respect to the inclined direction of the tire axial direction outer side portion and tire axial direction inner side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Ishino
  • Patent number: 10611193
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire provided with, in a tread surface, at least two main circumferential grooves, and a first land portion defined by the two main grooves, wherein in the first land portion, the followings are disposed: a first inclined groove; inclining relative to a tire width direction, and having one end portion opening in the main groove on one side adjacent to the first land portion and the other end portion terminating within the first land portion, and a first notched portion; having one end in a tire width direction as a tip positioned at an endmost, in a tire width direction, of the other end portion of the first inclined groove and the other end in a tire width direction opening in the main groove on the other side adjacent to the first land portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keiichi Kato
  • Patent number: 10603960
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes: a zigzag circumferential direction groove that is formed in a tread portion by alternating and continuously formed first inclined portions and second inclined portions, the first inclined portions being inclined with respect to a tire circumferential direction and the second inclined portions being inclined in the opposite direction to the first inclined portions with respect to the tire circumferential direction; first lug grooves that are inclined in the same direction as the first inclined portions with respect to the tire circumferential direction and that merge with the first inclined portions; and second lug grooves that are inclined in the opposite direction to the first inclined portions with respect to the tire circumferential direction and that intersect the first inclined portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shungo Fujita