Patents by Inventor Hiraku Kouda

Hiraku Kouda has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11752805
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire including main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction in a tread portion, and including a sipe extending in a tire lateral direction on a rib defined by the main grooves, the sipe includes an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side, chamfered portions shorter than a sipe length of the sipe are formed on respective edges, non-chamfered regions on which no other chamfered portion exists exist on portions opposing to respective chamfered portions in the sipe, a maximum depth x (mm) of the sipe and a maximum depth y (mm) of the chamfered portion satisfy x×0.1?y?x×0.3+1.0, and a sipe width of the sipe is constant in a range from an end portion positioned inside in a tire radial direction of the chamfered portion to a groove bottom of the sipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11701926
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a sipe includes an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side; the edge and the edge 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, with a ground contact width being equally divided into three in the tire lateral direction, a total projected area ACE of chamfered portions provided in a center region centrally located in the tire lateral direction and each of total projected areas ASH of chamfered portions provided in shoulder regions located on either side of the center region satisfy a relationship ACE<ASH.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takanori Uemura, Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa
  • Patent number: 11535065
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided. A rib includes a lug groove that opens at a first end portion to one of the main grooves and terminates at a second end portion within the rib, a first sipe that opens at a first end portion to the one of the main grooves the lug groove opens to and opens at a second end portion to the lug groove, and a second sipe that opens at a first end portion to another main groove located on the opposite side of the one of the main grooves the lug groove opens to and opens at a second end portion to the lug groove; and the first sipe and the second sipe each include a chamfered portion on the edge on the leading side or the edge on the trailing side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Takayuki Shiraishi, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • 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: 11433712
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire. A sipe is formed, on each of a leading side edge and a trailing side edge, with a chamfered portion shorter than a sipe length of a sipe, a non-chamfered region in which no other chamfered portion is present is provided in a part facing each of the chamfered portions, at least one end of the sipe communicates with the auxiliary groove, one end of the chamfered portion adjacent to the auxiliary groove in the rib communicates with the auxiliary groove, a maximum depth×(mm) of the sipe and a maximum depth y (mm) of the chamfered portion satisfy a relationship x×0.1?y?x×0.3+1.0, and a sipe width W of the sipe is constant in a range from an end positioned in the radial direction inside the chamfered portion to a groove bottom of the sipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanori Uemura, Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa
  • Patent number: 11433710
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with a sipe including 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. For all chamfered portions, including at least the chamfered portions of the sipe, formed on grooves other than main grooves, a total volume SIN of the chamfered portions located on a vehicle mounting inner side and a total volume SOUT of the chamfered portions located on a vehicle mounting outer side satisfy a relationship SIN>SOUT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11433713
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a sipe includes an edge on a leading side and an edge on a trailing side; the edge and the edge 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, with a ground contact width being equally divided into three in the tire lateral direction, a total volume SCE of chamfered portions provided in a center region centrally located in the tire lateral direction and each of total volumes SSH of chamfered portions provided in shoulder regions located on either side of the center region satisfy a relationship SCE<SSH.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Takayuki Shiraishi, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11370252
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire including a plurality of main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction in a tread portion and including a sipe extending in a tire width direction on a rib defined by a main groove, the sipe includes a leading side edge and a trailing side edge, a chamfered portion shorter than a sipe length of the sipe is formed in each of the leading side edge and the trailing side edge, a non-chamfered region including no other chamfered portion is present in a part facing each chamfered portion of the sipe, and the rib includes an intersecting groove intersecting with at least one out of the sipe and the chamfered portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Takayuki Shiraishi, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11364750
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided. In a meridian cross-section, an external contour shape of the bead core is a polygon formed by common tangent lines of a plurality of circumferential portions of a bead wire, the external contour shape includes a single vertex located toward the outside in a tire radial direction, an internal angle formed by two sides sandwiching the vertex is an acute angle, a bottom side of the external contour shape is inclined with respect to the tire lateral direction by from 2° to 9°, and the carcass layer is bent and folded back along a circumference of the bead core in a bead portion, a folded back portion of the carcass layer from a position of an outer end of the bead core in the tire radial direction extends toward a sidewall portion in contact with a body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryohei Takemori, Masaaki Nagayasu, Yuki Sasaya, Atsushi Tanno, Hiraku Kouda, Jun Matsuda
  • Patent number: 11364746
    Abstract: A rib of a pneumatic tire includes a first sipe extending from one of main grooves positioned on both sides of the rib and a second sipe extending from another one of the main grooves, one end portion of the first and second sipes terminating within the rib. The first and second sipes form a pair of sipes including edges on leading and trailing sides. Chamfered portions shorter than a total sipe length of the pair of sipes are formed on respective edges and non-chamfered regions exist on portions opposing respective chamfered portions in the pair of sipes. A maximum depth x (mm) of the sipes and a maximum depth y (mm) of the chamfered portion satisfy x×0.1?y?x×0.3+1.0. A sipe width is constant in a range from a portion positioned inside in a tire radial direction of the chamfered portion to a bottom of the sipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takanori Uemura, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa
  • Patent number: 11331960
    Abstract: Of layers configuring a bead core of a pneumatic tire, the width W0 of one of the layers including the greatest number of rows, the width W1, W2 of other of the layers located respectively innermost and outermost in the radial direction satisfy W1>W2 and W2?0.5×W0. The position of width W0 is inward in the radial direction of the center of the bead core. A carcass is folded and curved along the bead core and extends toward sidewalls where a folded back portion of the carcass contacts a body of the carcass. A rubber occupancy ratio in a closed region formed by the body and the folded back portion is 0.1% to 15%. The cross-sectional area S2 and hardness H2 of a filler outward of the carcass in the lateral direction, and the cross-sectional area S1 and the hardness H1 of the side reinforcing layer satisfy 0.12?(S2×H2)/(S1×H1)?0.50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Tanno, Hiraku Kouda, Jun Matsuda, Masaaki Nagayasu, Yuki Sasaya, Ryohei Takemori
  • Patent number: 11331955
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire. A sipe includes, on each of a leading side edge and a trailing side edge, a chamfered portion and a non-chamfered region in which no other chamfered portion is present. A maximum depth of the chamfered portion is shallower than a maximum depth of the sipe, and a width of the sipe is substantially constant. In a cross-sectional view perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the sipe, at least one chamfered portion has a profile line that projects outwards in the radial direction beyond a chamfer reference line connecting the end portions of the chamfered portion, and a cross-sectional area of a chamfered region that is surrounded by the profile line, the sipe, and a tread contact surface of a tread portion is smaller than a cross-sectional area of a reference region surrounded by the chamfer reference line, the sipe, and the tread contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11267295
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire. A sipe includes, on each of a leading side edge and a trailing side edge, a chamfered portion and a non-chamfered region including no other chamfered portion. The maximum depth of the chamfered portion is shallower than the maximum depth of the sipe, and the sipe width is substantially constant. In a cross-sectional view, at least one chamfered portion includes a profile line that is convex inward in a tire radial direction with respect to a chamfer reference line connecting both ends of the chamfered portion; and a cross-sectional area of a chamfered region that is surrounded by the profile line, the sipe, and a tread contact surface of a tread portion is equal to or greater than a cross-sectional area of a reference region, the reference region being surrounded by the chamfer reference line, the sipe, and the tread contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Inventors: Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: 11260702
    Abstract: In a cross-section of a pneumatic tire, a contour of the bead core is a polygon formed by tangent lines of circumferential portions of a bead wire, the contour includes a vertex with an acute angle and a bottom side opposite the vertex, the carcass layer is folded back along a circumference of the bead core in a bead portion, a folded back portion of the carcass layer from an outer end of the bead core extends in the radial direction, and a distance in the radial direction between a center of an arc profile of a tire outer surface and a straight line extending in the lateral direction through the vertex is within 20% of a radius r of the arc, and a distance in the lateral direction between the center of the arc and a straight line extending in the radial direction through the vertex is within 2r±0.4r.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Inventors: Yuki Sasaya, Masaaki Nagayasu, Ryohei Takemori, Atsushi Tanno, Hiraku Kouda, Jun Matsuda
  • Patent number: 11110753
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has an asymmetrical tread pattern and a designated vehicle mounting direction. A sipe includes a leading-side edge and a trailing-side edge, each provided with a chamfered portion shorter than a length of the sipe, and a non-chamfered region where other chamfered portions do not exist disposed in an area opposite the chamfered portion. The sipe has a maximum depth x (mm) and the chamfered portion has a maximum depth y (mm) that satisfy x×0.1?y?x×0.3+1.0. The sipe has a constant width in a range from an end portion of the chamfered portion positioned inward in a tire radial direction to a groove bottom of the sipe. A groove area of the chamfered portions and the sipes included within a ground contact region is greater on a vehicle mounting inner side than on a vehicle mounting outer side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Publication number: 20210268845
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes protrusion portions formed on, extending along, and projecting from at least one tire side portion, the protrusion portions including at least one bend portion at a position where a direction in which the protrusion portion extends changes, and also including extending portions defined by the bend portion. Where the extending portion disposed on an outermost side in the radial direction among the extending portions is taken to be a first extending portion, a highest extending portion that is the extending portion in which an average extending portion height that is an average height from the tire side portion of each extending portion is highest is any one of the extending portions other than the first extending portion. The tire side portion has a thickness at a tire maximum width position within a range of no less than 2 mm and no more than 9 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Masaaki Nagayasu, Hiraku Kouda, Ryohei Takemori, Yuki Sasaya
  • Publication number: 20210268846
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes protrusion portions projecting from and extending along a tire side portion, the protrusion portions being disposed on an outer side in a tire radial direction in an placement region that is a region from a position of 15% to a position of 85% of a tire cross-sectional height from a reference position on an inner side in the tire radial direction of the tire cross-sectional height, and including a first extending portion extending along the tire side portion in a single arc shape or a single straight shape, the first extending portion having a length within a range of no less than 1.0 and no more 6.0 times a height in the tire radial direction of the placement region, and the tire side portion having a thickness at a tire maximum width position within from 2 mm to 9 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Yuki Sasaya, Masaaki Nagayasu, Ryohei Takemori, Hiraku Kouda
  • Publication number: 20210260935
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes protrusion portions formed on a side portion of tire side portions located on both sides in a width direction, projecting from a side surface of the side portion, and extending along the side surface, the protrusion portions including a bend portion where a direction in which the protrusion portions extend changes, and also including extending portions defined by the bend portion, a width of the extending portions changing at a position straddling the bend portion, a first extending portion having the longest length among the extending portions having a maximum width of no less than 1.0 mm and no more than 3.0 mm, and a thickness of the side portion at a maximum tire width position being no less than 2 mm and no more than 9 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: August 26, 2021
    Inventors: Ryohei Takemori, Hiraku Kouda, Masaaki Nagayasu, Yuki Sasaya
  • Patent number: 11084330
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes chamfered portions respectively formed on a leading side edge and a trailing side edge of a sipe. The sipe includes a non-chamfered region in which other chamfered portions are not present, in a plan view of a tread portion. At least one of the chamfered portions includes an outer edge profile line not parallel to a ridge line of the sipe. When the chamfered portion including the outer edge profile line not parallel to the ridge line of the sipe is divided into an inner region and an outer region corresponding to half a chamfer length of the chamfered portion in a tire width direction, a projected area of the outer region positioned on a rib outer side is larger than a projected area of the inner region positioned on a rib inner side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Shiraishi, Hiraku Kouda, Tatsuro Shinzawa, Takanori Uemura
  • Patent number: D1004529
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Kouda, Noboru Kuwahara