Patents by Inventor Masaaki Ohara

Masaaki Ohara 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: 8534336
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a pair of bead portions, side wall portions extending to an outer side in a tire diametrical direction from the bead portions, and a tread portion connected to an outer end in a tire diametrical direction of each of the side wall portions. An outer wall surface of the side wall portion is provided with a circumferential projection annularly extending along a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of diametrical projections extending to an inner side in a tire diametrical direction from the circumferential projection and arranged so as to be spaced in the tire circumferential direction. A gap portion formed between the diametrical projections is open to an inner side in the tire diametrical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 8496035
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire excellent in running performance on a rough road. In order to achieve the object, a pneumatic tire comprises a tread surface having a plurality of lug grooves each of which opens to a sidewall, the sidewall includes a plurality of protrusions disposed thereon, wherein each of the lug grooves includes a protruding strip portion disposed on a groove bottom of the lug groove and extending along an extending direction of the lug groove, the protruding strip portion has a start point thereof at an inner side than a ground-contact point in a width direction as viewed from a front side thereof, and extends up to one of the protrusions beyond an open end of the lug groove located at the sidewall side and is connected to the protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Publication number: 20130139936
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire includes three or less steel belt layers, wherein a first block and a second block extending in an outer side than the first block are alternately provided in a tire circumferential direction on a ground edge region of a tread part. An annular region extending in a circumferential direction is provided on the outer surface of an outer side than a maximum width position in a side wall part, and plural projections are provided side by side on the annular region. An outer thin wall part continuing along an outer circumferential edge of the annular region and an inner thin wall part continuing along an inner circumferential edge of the annular region are provided, and the outer thin wall part is arranged adjacent to an inner radius height and inside of the inner radius height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Publication number: 20120256349
    Abstract: A tire mold has a tire molding surface. The tire molding surface is pressed against an outer surface of an uncured tire. A vent hole is provided in the tire molding surface. A surface of an outer edge region surrounding an opening of the vent hole is formed by a smooth surface. The smooth surface is smoother than a surface in a peripheral region of the outer edge region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki OHARA
  • Patent number: 8132604
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprising a shoulder rib segmented into a main rib located at the inner side thereof in a width direction of the tire and a thin rib located at the outer side thereof in the width direction of the tire by a thin groove extending along a circumferential direction of the tire, wherein the thin groove includes a large-width portion having a relatively larger groove width and a small-width portion having a relatively smaller groove width continuously formed one after the other along the circumferential direction of the tire, and an inner wall of the large-width portion located at the thin rib side is disposed at a further outer side with respect to an inner wall of the small-width portion located at the thin rib side as viewed in the width direction of the tire, a protruding portion protruding outwardly in the width direction of the tire from an edge line of the thin rib located at the outer side in the width direction of the tire is formed at a position where the large-width portion is disposed
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 8127811
    Abstract: A sipe blade for forming a sipe with one end opened and the other end closed in a land portion on a tread surface of a tire includes a front-end portion that forms the closed end of the sipe and a connection-end portion that forms the open end of the sipe being connected to a rib that forms a groove. A first thickness of the front-end portion is larger than a second thickness of a thinnest portion. A third thickness of the connection-end portion is 3 mm or less and is the largest thickness in a portion between the front-end portion and the connection-end portion, and the ratio of the third thickness with respect to the second thickness; i.e., the third thickness/the second thickness is 1.2 to 3.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Publication number: 20110297288
    Abstract: A tire mold has a tire molding surface and a rough surface molding portion provided in the tire molding surface. In the rough surface molding portion, a maximum height Rz is not less than 4 ?m, a material ratio Rmr(c) in a case where 20% of the maximum height Rz is set to a cutting level c is not less than 3.5%, and a material ratio Rmr(c) in a case where 30% of the maximum height Rz is set to the cutting level c is not more than 25%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Publication number: 20110285064
    Abstract: A tire mold has an annular rough surface molding portion extending along a circumferential direction in a region of a tire molding surface for molding a side wall portion. The rough surface molding portion is provided with a projection extending spirally along a circumferential direction at a protruding height between 5 and 300 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Publication number: 20110247740
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a rough surface portion which is provided on an outer surface of a side wall portion. In the rough surface portion, a maximum height Rz is equal to or more than 4 ?m and a skewness Rsk satisfies Rsk>0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 8033310
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprising, on a tread face of the tire, a shoulder land portion extending in a circumferential direction of the tire, and a thin groove extending in the circumferential direction of the tire adjacent to a contact end of the shoulder land portion where comes into contact with the ground and segmenting the shoulder land portion into a main land portion located at the inner side thereof as viewed in the width direction of the tire and a sacrifice land portion located at the outer side thereof as viewed in the width direction of the tire, wherein the thin groove includes an enlarged portion extending in the circumferential direction of the tire in which a groove width thereof at groove bottom is enlarged toward the sacrifice land portion side only, and a protruding portion that protrudes toward the groove bottom side along the inner wall located at the sacrifice land portion side and extends in the circumferential direction of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 8006730
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire of the invention includes: a stepped-shaped raised area provided in the main groove positioned at a center area of the tire so as to be continued circumferentially of the tire, connected to either the main groove walls, and raised from the groove bottom; and a ridge lower than a tread surface of the tire in each of the main grooves on both outsides of the main groove at the center area of the tire so as to be raised from the center of the groove bottom continuously along the length thereof without being joined with the groove walls, and the angle of inclination of the main groove walls with respect to the normal line of the tangential line on the tread surface of the main groove portion is parallel to each other or is 5° or smaller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 7980281
    Abstract: A groove bottom of a circumferential groove formed in a tread surface is provided with a protruding stripe extending along an extending direction of the circumferential groove. The protruding stripe is provided with a top head portion protruding toward a tire outer circumferential side, and a base portion which is narrower than the top head portion and connects the top head portion and the groove bottom. If a small stone is pinched, the top head portion is inclined around the base portion, and the protruding stripe is deflected as a whole, thereby generating a reaction force on the basis of a deformation restoring force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 7980280
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire having improved wear resistance, especially improved uneven wear resistance (such as river wear), is offered. The tire that is a rib-pattern tire has five ribs extending circumferentially of the tire. The ribs include a center rib and intermediate ribs located on the opposite sides of the center rib that is located on the equator line of the tire. Closed sipes are formed at least in the center rib and in the intermediate ribs. Each sipe is located in the lateral center of the corresponding rib. Both ends of each sipe terminate within the corresponding rib. The closed sipes are successively offset circumferentially among the ribs and arranged in a periodic pattern on the outer surface of the tire. The closed sipes in the ribs are so arranged that when they are optically projected onto the equator line of the tire, the sipes do not overlap circumferentially of the tire among the ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: 7954527
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire provided with a tread pattern on which a plurality of blocks are formed with circumferential grooves which extend along a circumferential direction of the tire and lateral grooves which traverse the circumferential grooves, wherein the lateral groove disposed between the blocks on the endmost tread edge region has a depth from 10 to 50% of a depth of the circumferential groove to be traversed and has a groove bottom concave portion whose both ends in a longitudinal direction are disposed inside the groove bottom, and a width of the groove bottom concave portion, which is determined on the basis of the bottom plane of the groove bottom, is from 25 to 45% of a groove width of the lateral groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D637143
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D643409
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Shimizu, Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D663682
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D668241
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Shimizu, Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D672752
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Shimizu, Masaaki Ohara
  • Patent number: D675979
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masaaki Ohara