Patents by Inventor Shuji KOBORI

Shuji KOBORI 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: 12162312
    Abstract: A tire for running on rough terrain has a tread portion provided with crown blocks, middle blocks, and groove portions. Each of the crown blocks includes a ground contacting surface and a first wall surface located on a heel side in a tire rotational direction. The first wall surface is inclined to a toe side in the tire rotational direction as it goes inward in a tire radial direction from the ground contacting surface. Each of the groove portions has a length in the tire axial direction of 5% or more and 70% or less of a length in the tire axial direction of each of the middle blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shuji Kobori
  • Publication number: 20240100886
    Abstract: A tire 2 includes a tread 4. The tread 4 includes a plurality of blocks 18. The plurality of blocks 18 include a plurality of center blocks 28 located on an equator plane. The plurality of center blocks 28 include a main center block 28m having, in a land surface 20 thereof, a center of gravity CG of the land surface 20. At the center of gravity CG of the land surface 20 of the main center block 28m, an axial length a of the main center block 28m is not less than twice a circumferential length b thereof. The main center block 28m has a hardness of not greater than 70. The main center block 28m has a 300% modulus of not less than 8.5 MPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shuji KOBORI
  • Publication number: 20230278370
    Abstract: A tread portion 2 of a tire 1 includes a plurality of shoulder blocks 11 and a plurality of middle blocks 12. An inner edge 11B in the tire axial direction of a tread surface of each shoulder block 11 protrudes on an outer side in a tire radial direction with respect to a virtual profile 18. A side surface S on the inner side in the tire axial direction of each shoulder block 11 includes one first side surface S1 extending from the inner edge 11B toward a groove bottom, and at least one second side surface S2 extending from a bottom side end of the first side surface S1 toward the groove bottom, and the second side surface S2 is a surface inclined toward the inner side in the tire axial direction relative to the first side surface S1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Applicant: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shuji KOBORI, Yoshimasa UEDA
  • Patent number: 11590806
    Abstract: A motorcycle tyre for off-road includes a tread portion including a bottom surface and connected bodies. The block connected bodies each include blocks protruding from the bottom surface and tie-bars protruding from the bottom surface with a height smaller than that of the blocks to connect the blocks with one another. The block connected bodies include a first connected body whose blocks and tie-bars are arranged so as to surround the bottom surface at least partially. The first connected body includes a first end block located on a first end in a longitudinal direction of the first connected body and a second end block located on a second end in the longitudinal direction of the first connected body. The first end block and the second end block are adjacent with one another, and no tie-bar connecting the first end block and the second end block is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shuji Kobori
  • Patent number: 11535059
    Abstract: A motorcycle tyre includes a tread portion, a pair of bead portions, a toroidal carcass extending between the pair of bead portions, and a band layer disposed outward in a tyre radial direction of the carcass and inside the tread portion. The band layer includes a band ply having one or more steel cords spirally wound in a tyre circumferential direction. The tyre has a parameter (A) in which a load index LI (kg) of the tyre is divided by a bending/compression stiffness ratio that is obtained by dividing a bending stiffness (g·cm) of the steel cords by a compression stiffness (N/mm) of the steel cords being in a range of 1500 to 6000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro Tokiwa, Shuji Kobori
  • Publication number: 20220371378
    Abstract: A tire for running on rough terrain has a tread portion provided with crown blocks, middle blocks, and groove portions. Each of the crown blocks includes a ground contacting surface and a first wall surface located on a heel side in a tire rotational direction. The first wall surface is inclined to a toe side in the tire rotational direction as it goes inward in a tire radial direction from the ground contacting surface. Each of the groove portions has a length in the tire axial direction of 5% or more and 70% or less of a length in the tire axial direction of each of the middle blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji KOBORI
  • Publication number: 20220032690
    Abstract: A motorcycle tire includes a tread portion, a carcass, a breaker layer disposed outside the carcass with cords oriented at an angle equal to or more than 15 degrees with respect to a tire equator, and a tread rubber disposed outside the breaker layer so as to form a band-less structure in which the tread rubber is arranged so as to be directly in contact with the breaker layer. The tread rubber includes a cap rubber layer forming a ground contacting surface of the tread portion, and a base rubber layer disposed inside the cap rubber layer and having complex modulus greater than that of the cap rubber layer. The base rubber layer extends between a pair of outermost ends thereof so as to across the tire equator, and a thickness of the base rubber layer at the tire equator is greater than that of the outermost ends.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji KOBORI
  • Publication number: 20210197619
    Abstract: A motorcycle tyre includes a tread portion, a pair of bead portions, a toroidal carcass extending between the pair of bead portions, and a band layer disposed outward in a tyre radial direction of the carcass and inside the tread portion. The band layer includes a band ply having one or more steel cords spirally wound in a tyre circumferential direction. The tyre has a parameter (A) in which a load index LI (kg) of the tyre is divided by a bending/compression stiffness ratio that is obtained by dividing a bending stiffness (g·cm) of the steel cords by a compression stiffness (N/mm) of the steel cords being in a range of 1500 to 6000.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihiro TOKIWA, Shuji KOBORI
  • Patent number: 10981420
    Abstract: A motorcycle tire includes a tread portion provided with inclined main grooves arranged between the tire equator and a first tread edge and sub-grooves smaller than the inclined main grooves in groove width. The inclined main grooves include inner main grooves each extending from a first end located on the tire equator side to a second end located on the first tread edge side with an inclination with respect to a tire circumferential direction, wherein no other grooves are provided between the first end of each inner main groove and the tire equator. The sub-grooves include first sub-grooves extending from the inner main grooves toward the tire equator with an opposite inclination direction to the inner main grooves with respect to the tire circumferential direction and terminating on the tire equator side without being communicated with any other grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji Kobori
  • Publication number: 20200070587
    Abstract: A motorcycle tyre for off-road includes a tread portion including a bottom surface and connected bodies. The block connected bodies each include blocks protruding from the bottom surface and tie-bars protruding from the bottom surface with a height smaller than that of the blocks to connect the blocks with one another. The block connected bodies include a first connected body whose blocks and tie-bars are arranged so as to surround the bottom surface at least partially. The first connected body includes a first end block located on a first end in a longitudinal direction of the first connected body and a second end block located on a second end in the longitudinal direction of the first connected body. The first end block and the second end block are adjacent with one another, and no tie-bar connecting the first end block and the second end block is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji KOBORI
  • Publication number: 20190168543
    Abstract: A motorcycle tire includes a tread portion provided with inclined main grooves arranged between the tire equator and a first tread edge and sub-grooves smaller than the inclined main grooves in groove width. The inclined main grooves include inner main grooves each extending from a first end located on the tire equator side to a second end located on the first tread edge side with an inclination with respect to a tire circumferential direction, wherein no other grooves are provided between the first end of each inner main groove and the tire equator. The sub-grooves include first sub-grooves extending from the inner main grooves toward the tire equator with an opposite inclination direction to the inner main grooves with respect to the tire circumferential direction and terminating on the tire equator side without being communicated with any other grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji KOBORI
  • Patent number: D981941
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shuji Kobori
  • Patent number: D997083
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Shuji Kobori