Patents by Inventor Kouichi Koutoku

Kouichi Koutoku 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: 9272578
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a belt layer includes an inner-side cross belt and an outer-side cross belt each having an absolute value of a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction of not less than 46 degrees and not more than 80 degrees and having the belt angles with signs that are opposite to each other. The circumferential reinforcing layer has a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction within the range ±5 degrees and disposed between the inner-side cross belt and outer-side cross belt. The supplemental belt has an absolute value of a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction of not less than 10 degrees and not more than 45 degrees, and is disposed on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the inner-side cross belt. The supplemental belt and the inner-side cross belt have belt angles with opposite signs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Kohshi Iga, Hideki Hamanaka, Kouichi Koutoku
  • Publication number: 20150165822
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a carcass layer, a belt layer disposed on an outer side of the carcass layer in a tire radial direction, and a tread rubber disposed on the outer side of the belt layer in the tire radial direction. The belt layer is formed by laminating a pair of cross belts having a belt angle of not less than 10° and not more than 45° in absolute values and having belt angles of mutually opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle within a range of ±5° with respect to the tire circumferential direction. A tread width TW and a total tire width SW have a relationship such that 0.79?TW/SW?0.89.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Kouichi Koutoku
  • Publication number: 20150136297
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a belt layer includes an inner-side cross belt and an outer-side cross belt each having an absolute value of a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction of not less than 46 degrees and not more than 80 degrees and having the belt angles with signs that are opposite to each other. The circumferential reinforcing layer has a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction within the range ±5 degrees and disposed between the inner-side cross belt and outer-side cross belt. The supplemental belt has an absolute value of a belt angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction of not less than 10 degrees and not more than 45 degrees, and is disposed on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the inner-side cross belt. The supplemental belt and the inner-side cross belt have belt angles with opposite signs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Kohshi Iga, Hideki Hamanaka, Kouichi Koutoku
  • Publication number: 20150114536
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a carcass layer, a belt layer that is disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the carcass layer, and a tread rubber that is disposed on the outer side in the tire radial direction of the belt layer. The pneumatic tire also includes at least three circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions that are defined by these circumferential main grooves. The belt layer includes an inner-side cross belt and outer-side cross belt having belt angles of not less than 51° and not more than 80° as absolute values with respect to the tire circumferential direction, the belt angles having mutually opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle that satisfies a range of ±5° with respect to the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Hideki Hamanaka, Kohshi Iga, Kouichi Koutoku
  • Patent number: 8815034
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire includes: at least one carcass layer suspended across left and right bead parts; a belt layer arranged on an outer circumferential side of the carcass layer; and a tread arranged on an outer circumferential side of the belt layer. The tread has a laminated structure in which a thermoplastic film layer of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer composition is interposed between a tread-side rubber layer and a belt layer-side rubber layer. The thermoplastic elastomer composition is obtained by blending an elastomer in a thermoplastic resin. A process for producing a retreaded tire includes the steps of: forming a base tire from the pneumatic radial tire by softening the thermoplastic film layer through heating so as to separate and remove the tread-side rubber layer, the pneumatic radial tire having the tread worn away; and subsequently bonding a new tread-side rubber layer onto the base tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Koutoku, Mitsuo Sakurai
  • Patent number: 8800616
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a difference Gs?Ge falls in a range of Gs?Ge?0.10, where Gs is a groove area ratio for a wear rate 0% and Ge is a groove area ratio for a wear rate 100%. Further, a groove area ratio G for a wear rate 20% falls in a range of (Gs?G)/(Gs?Ge)?0.30, and a groove area ratio G for a wear rate 35% falls in a range of (Gs?G)/(Gs?Ge)?0.50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kouichi Koutoku
  • Publication number: 20110056603
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire includes: at least one carcass layer suspended across left and right bead parts; a belt layer arranged on an outer circumferential side of the carcass layer; and a tread arranged on an outer circumferential side of the belt layer. The tread has a laminated structure in which a thermoplastic film layer of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer composition is interposed between a tread-side rubber layer and a belt layer-side rubber layer. The thermoplastic elastomer composition is obtained by blending an elastomer in a thermoplastic resin. A process for producing a retreaded tire includes the steps of: forming a base tire from the pneumatic radial tire by softening the thermoplastic film layer through heating so as to separate and remove the tread-side rubber layer, the pneumatic radial tire having the tread worn away; and subsequently bonding a new tread-side rubber layer onto the base tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi Koutoku, Mitsuo Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20100084063
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a difference Gs-Ge falls in a range of Gs-Ge?0.10, where Gs is a groove area ratio for a wear rate 0% and Ge is a groove area ratio for a wear rate 100%. Further, a groove area ratio G for a wear rate 20% falls in a range of (Gs-G)/(Gs-Ge)?0.30, and a groove area ratio G for a wear rate 35% falls in a range of (Gs-G)/(Gs-Ge)?0.50.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kouichi Koutoku
  • Patent number: D647042
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kouichi Koutoku