Having Circumferential Rib At Or Crossing Equatorial Plane Patents (Class 152/209.13)
  • Patent number: 11376893
    Abstract: A tire tread having a tread surface (20) in the new state and at least one wavy groove (1) opening into the tread surface, the groove is the new state having external cavities (11) that open onto the tread surface in the new state along a length (Le) and internal cavities (12) that do not open onto the tread surface. The external cavities (11) have a bottom (110) of which the points that are innermost in the tread are at a distance (H1) from the tread surface (20) in the new state, the internal cavities (12) having a bottom (120) of which the innermost points are at a distance (H22) from the same tread surface (20). The external cavities (11) and the internal cavities (12) being connected together by linking cavities (13). The tread (2) being such that at least two sipes (31, 32) are formed from the bottom (110) of the external cavities (11) and along an entire length (Le) of these external cavities (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Tony Zivkovic, Philippe Gervais, Guillaume Bacher
  • Patent number: 11148472
    Abstract: A tyre includes a tread portion including a tread surface which is provided with grooves. At least one of the grooves includes a widening-width portion at least partially. The widening-width portion includes a first groove portion extending inwardly in a tyre radial direction from the tread surface, and a second groove portion located inwardly in the tyre radial direction of the first groove portion and having a groove width greater than that of the first groove portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Nakajima, Naoki Ishida, Masayuki Fujita
  • Patent number: 11130372
    Abstract: A heavy truck tire tread (2) having a longitudinal direction (LgD), a lateral direction (LtD), a tread depth direction (TdD), a ground contact surface (CS) and a pair of opposing tread shoulders (3, 4) spaced apart along the lateral direction is provided. The tread has a shoulder zone (SZ, SZ?) adjacent each tread shoulder of the pair of opposing tread shoulders, the shoulder zones consisting of blocks (5, 6) adjacent to each other along the longitudinal direction and separated by lateral grooves (7, 8). A center zone (CZ) is defined between the shoulder zones. The center zone is decoupled from both shoulder zones by at least one longitudinal sipe (11) or groove, and each lateral groove (7) in a shoulder zone (SZ) is directly connected to an opposite lateral groove (8) in the opposite shoulder zone (SZ?) by a lateral sipe (10) of the center rib.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: Stefan Voss
  • Patent number: 10836218
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, a sidewall portion includes a plurality of projecting portions projecting in a tire width-direction. The projecting portions are placed such that at least portions of the projecting portions are superposed on a first block in a tire radial-direction as viewed in the tire width-direction. At least one of the projecting portions includes an opening which is separated from at least one of end edges of the projecting portions in the tire radial-direction. The opening includes a radial bottom curved surface having an arc cross section extending along the tire radial-direction. A radius of curvature of the radial bottom curved surface is equal to or greater than a maximum depth size of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shingo Kuwano
  • Patent number: 10369845
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with a carcass layer, a belt layer disposed on the outer side of the carcass layer in a radial direction of the tire, and tread rubber disposed on the outer side of the belt layer in the radial direction of the tire. The belt layer is formed by layering a pair of cross belts having belt angles with absolute values from 10° to 45° inclusive and opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle within a range of ±5° with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire. A distance (Gcc) from a tread profile to an inner circumferential surface of the tire along a tire equatorial plane and a distance (Gsh) from a tread end (p) to the inner circumferential surface of the tire have a relationship such that 1.10?Gsh/Gcc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Masatoshi Nagayoshi
  • Patent number: 10272723
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with at least three circumferential main grooves extending in the circumferential direction of the tire and a plurality of land portions defined by the circumferential main grooves. Additionally, the belt layer is formed by layering a pair of cross belts having a belt angle, as an absolute value, of no less than 10° and no more than 45° and having a belt angles of mutually opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle within a range of ±5° with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire. A tire ground contact width (Wg) and a carcass cross-sectional width (Wca) of a carcass layer have a relationship such that 0.64?Wg/Wca?0.84.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hironori Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10239353
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire includes at least three circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction and a plurality of land portions partitioned and formed by the circumferential main grooves. Also, the belt layer is formed by laminating a pair of cross belts having a belt angle, as an absolute value, of not less than 10° and not more than 45° and 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. Also, when viewed as a cross-section from the tire meridian direction, the distance Dcc on the tire equatorial plane from the circumferential reinforcing layer to the wear end surface and the distance De from the end portion of the circumferential reinforcing layer to the wear end surface have a relationship such that 1.06?De/Dcc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Takanori Ito
  • Patent number: 10166819
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with at least three circumferential main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions defined by the circumferential main grooves. The belt layer is formed by laminating a pair of cross belts having belt angles, as an absolute value, of not less than 10° and not greater than 45° and 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. In a cross-sectional view in the tire meridian direction, the distance Dcc from the circumferential reinforcing layer to the terminal wear surface on a tire equatorial plane and the distance De from an end portion of the circumferential reinforcing layer to the terminal wear surface have the relationship such that De/Dcc?0.94.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Kentaroh Obana
  • Patent number: 9987883
    Abstract: In a cross-sectional view of a pneumatic tire in the tire meridian direction, land sections, which are located on the inner side of left and right outermost circumferential main grooves in the tire width direction, have a first profile which protrudes outward in the tire radial direction. In addition, shoulder land sections, which are located on the outer side of the right and left outermost circumferential main grooves in the tire width direction, have a second profile which protrudes inward in the tire radial direction within a ground contact surface. In addition, the distance between a line extending from the first profile in the ground contact surface of the shoulder land section and the second profile in the tire radial direction increases toward the outer side in the tire width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Kunugi
  • Patent number: 9950570
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes at least three circumferential main grooves that extend in the tire circumferential direction, and land portions that are partitioned and formed by these circumferential main grooves. In addition, a belt layer is formed by laminating a pair of cross belts each having a belt angle of not less than 10° and not more than 45° as an absolute value and having mutually opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle within a range of ±5° with respect to the tire circumferential direction. In addition, in a cross-sectional view taken along the tire meridian direction, a diameter D1 at a point at an edge portion on the inner side of a shoulder land portion in the tire width direction and a diameter D2 at a predetermined point within the ground-contact surface of the shoulder land portion have a relationship such that D2<D1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Kotoku
  • Patent number: 9919564
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes at least three circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, and a plurality of land portions partitioned by the circumferential main grooves. The belt layer is formed by laminating a pair of cross belts having a belt angle, as an absolute value, of not less than 10° and not more than 45° and mutually opposite signs, and a circumferential reinforcing layer having a belt angle within a range of ±5° with respect to a tire circumferential direction. Also, when viewed as a cross-section from the tire meridian direction, when the wear end surface of the circumferential main grooves is drawn, the distance Dcc on the tire equatorial plane from the circumferential reinforcing layer to the wear end surface and the distance De from the end portion of the circumferential reinforcing layer to the wear end surface have a relationship such that De/Dcc?0.94.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Chunyi Wang
  • Patent number: 9849730
    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: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki Hamanaka, Koshi Iga, Koichi Kotoku
  • Patent number: 9757988
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a specified rotational direction and including land portions formed compartmentally on the tread of the pneumatic tire by disposing plural inclined grooves extending from both tread ends respectively toward the tire equator and inclined toward the rotational direction with respect to a tire width direction, and also including branch grooves on the tread, each of the branch grooves diverging from a portion of the inclined groove within an area till ¼ of the tread width from the tread, extending to the tire equator in the opposite tire circumferential direction of the inclined groove with respect to the tire width direction and terminating within the land portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun Koyanagi
  • Patent number: 9662940
    Abstract: Tire and tread for a vehicle for agricultural use having reduced attack to leading faces of tread bars, at axially outer ends thereof, by stubble remaining after harvest, thereby reducing risk of chunking of axially outer ends of the bars. The tire and tread has a plurality of bars, a bar having, in any axial plane (Pxy) parallel to the axis of rotation, a leading profile and a trailing profile. The angle (A) of the straight line (T) tangential to the leading profile at a point (M) on the leading profile, with respect to an equatorial plane (P), increases continuously, from an axially outermost point (E) of the leading profile, when the axial distance (L) between the point (M) and the point (E) increases, the angle (A) reaches a maximum value (Am) at a point of inflection (I) of the leading profile, and the radius of curvature (R) at any point (M), positioned axially between the axially outermost point (E) and the point of inflection (I), is at least equal to 0.4 times the height of the bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUES, S.A.
    Inventors: Patrick Vervået, Benoit Buffetaud, Arnaud Larregain
  • Patent number: 9555668
    Abstract: In the tire (1), a region of the tread portion (10) overlapping with a range of 80% of a length of the circumferential belt layer (40) in a tread widthwise direction around a tire equator line CL is a central region CR in the tire radial direction trd, and a remaining region of the tread portion (10) is a terminal region TR, a maximum curvature radius of the arc portion of the central circumferential groove 50a is R1, a minimum curvature radius of the arc portion of the terminal circumferential groove 50b is R2, a maximum depth in the tire radial direction trd from the tread surface (11) to a groove bottom 55a of the central circumferential groove 50a is D1, a maximum depth in the tire radial direction trd from the tread surface (11) to a groove bottom 55b of the terminal circumferential groove 50b is D2, and a relationship of R1/D1?0.130 and a relationship of R2/D2>0.195 are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Oono
  • Patent number: 9283812
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire for heavy loads that prevents occurrence of a side cut due to a projection while decelerating spread of a cut damage to a tire inner surface. In a widthwise cross section of the tire, angle ? satisfies a relation 0<??30° that a line joining an intersection between a virtual line and a tire outer surface and a maximum tire width position forms with respect to a radial line segment, the virtual line passing through a maximum carcass width position that is parallel to a tire axis line. An angle ? satisfies a relation 0??<30° that a line joining the maximum tire width position and a turnoff point forms with respect to the radial line segment, and a reinforcing rubber is disposed between a body portion and a turn-up portion of the carcass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hirobumi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8899286
    Abstract: Pneumatic tire tread which reduces tread pattern noise while suppressing air column resonance from circumferential grooves is provided with a number of sets of resonators and at least two types of branch groove shapes; the length of the first branch grooves at least 40% of the length of the contact surface, and groove width between 10% and 25% of the circumferential groove width; the length of the second branch grooves between 40% and 90% of the length of the first branch grooves, and the groove width no less than the first branch groove width; first openings and second openings alternately present on same circumferential groove; length between openings in first branch grooves is no more than 50% of the length of the contact surface; difference between the minimum cross-sectional void ratio in the ribs where the branch grooves are provided and the maximum cross-sectional void ratio is no greater than 10%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Nicolas Dautrey
  • Patent number: 8843269
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for managing an interface between a machine or work vehicle and a surface that the machine/work vehicle travels on in order to provide an optimum work performance level that balances fuel efficiency and surface adversity. Fleet management and reporting capabilities pertaining to such interface management are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Noel Wayne Anderson, Larry Lee Hendrickson
  • Patent number: 8800618
    Abstract: A component Fin toward an axial inner direction of the tire which is an opposite direction from an axial outer direction of the tire is applied to a force acting on a kicking end 16B of a land portion 16. With this, abrasion of the kicking end of the land portion can be moderated, and a biased abrasion resistance can be enhanced. A groove wall 20 of a lug groove 14 is provided with a step portion 22, a tread side groove width WA in a tread side of the step portion is widened toward an axial outer side of the tire, and a width WS of the step portion 22 is increased toward the axial outer side of the tire, thereby suppressing the lift from the road surface 26 at the tread-in end 16A of the land portion 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Akiyoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8746304
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has two circumferential-direction main grooves (13) and lug grooves (15). The circumferential-direction main grooves are disposed outside quarter point sections of a tread contact width (TW) in a tread width direction, respectively, the two circumferential-direction main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, each of the quarter point sections of the tread contact width (TW) being a midpoint between a tire equator line and a corresponding tread end portion. The lug grooves are extended outwardly from the circumferential-direction main grooves in the tread width direction. Each quarter point section of the tread contact width (TW) has a rib-like shape continuously extending in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Tomonori Aoki
  • Patent number: 8746303
    Abstract: To improve water evacuation property while preventing uneven wear, as well as to significantly improve the on-ice/snow performances by optimizing a tread pattern. This pneumatic tire has, in at least a part of a tread portion 1, a small block group GB, the small block group including a plurality of small blocks 3 arranged close together. The small block group GB comprises at least one circumferential main groove positioned 4 including see-through groove portion which linearly extends in the tread circumferential direction and at least one rib-like land portion 6 provided adjacently to the circumferential main groove and forming a groove side face 5 of the circumferential main groove 4 and continuously extending in the circumferential direction. A number density D of the small blocks is set within a range of 0.003 to 0.04 (pieces/mm2), the number density D representing the number of the small blocks per unit of an actual ground contact area of the small block group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Naoya Ochi
  • Patent number: 8297323
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pneumatic tire having: a circumferential groove continuously extending in the tire circumferential direction in a ground contact surface of a tread portion; and a resonator provided in a land portion and constituted of a resonance cell portion opened to a ground contact region at a position distanced from the circumferential groove and a siping portion making the resonance cell portion communicate with the circumferential groove, wherein change in a tread pattern as time lapses can be alleviated without scarifying an effect of reducing pipe resonance sounds. Specifically, an opening width of the siping portion at the ground contact surface of the tread portion is designed to change in the longitudinal direction thereof such that the opening with is relatively narrow on the side of the circumferential groove and relatively wide on the side of the resonance cell portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Fumio Takahashi, Shu Fujiwara, Shu Nagai, Takanari Saguchi, Naoya Ochi, Yukihiro Kiwaki
  • Patent number: 8281831
    Abstract: A tire for All Terrain Vehicles includes the first ribs located within a central area of the tread, which are non-continuously arranged, and the second ribs which are next to the ATV. The first ribs are separated by first gaps and the second ribs are separated by second gaps, the first and second gaps are located alternatively to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Inventor: Tsai Jen Lo
  • Patent number: 8267132
    Abstract: There is provided a pneumatic tire sufficiently improving drainage performance, driving stability, uneven wear resistance and quiet performance. A pneumatic tire 1 has at least one tire circumferential groove 9 extending along the tire circumferential direction in a tread portion 2. In addition, there are provided in a surface of the tread portion, a plurality of inclined grooves consisting of two or more small grooves 10 inclined at the same direction with respect to the tire circumferential direction and having an inclination angle within a range between 10 degrees and 60 degrees and configured in a zig-zag manner by coupling ends of the small grooves 10. The inclined grooves 11 are included in any widthwise section of the tread portion 2 of the tire and a part of the inclined grooves 11 is opened to the tire circumferential groove 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Dobashi, Toshiyuki Ishiguro, Sotaro Iwabuchi, Shungo Fujita
  • Patent number: 8210218
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire which prevents one-sided biased abrasion from being generated, the pneumatic tire having a non-directed rotational direction and comprises lug grooves 20 cutting across a land portion at a shoulder side of a tread portion 16 at both sides in a tire width direction. Each of the lug grooves 20 has a tapered groove portion 21 such that the groove width gradually becomes narrower such that a trapezoidal block portion 22 having a short side at the shoulder side as seen from a tire tread surface side is formed between the lug grooves 20 in a tire peripheral direction. The tapered groove portion 21 is formed so as to extend beyond a one quarter point Q from a tread end T. Accordingly, since in whichever direction the pneumatic tire 10 is rotated, a lug angle ? of a trailing end near the one quarter point Q becomes 90 degrees or less, it is possible to prevent one-sided biased abrasion from being generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Nakamura, Takashi Kodama
  • Patent number: 7637296
    Abstract: A pneumatic drive tire for tracked vehicles is provided having an outer tread surface divided into two zones. The first tread zone has a plurality of lugs and grooves, the grooves may extend across the entire first zone creating soil discharge channels. The soil discharge channels preferably extend into the shoulder. The tire has a second tread zone with no lugs or grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Mark Leonard Bonko, Carl Kenneth Safreed, Jr., Paul John Peterson
  • Publication number: 20090084478
    Abstract: A non directional pneumatic tire is provided for an agricultural irrigation system. The tire includes first and second side walls and a radially outer wall defining an internal inflation chamber. A non directional tread pattern is defined on the tire and includes a plurality of longitudinal protrusions positioned substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the tire. The longitudinal protrusions are arranged in first and second rows extending from the first and second side walls toward and across the equatorial plane of the tire. The longitudinal protrusions of the first and second rows circumferentially alternate with each other and there is a circumferential spacing between adjacent longitudinal protrusions at the equatorial plane so that no portion of one longitudinal protrusion circumferentially coincides with or overlaps another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Inventors: Bill J. Wallet, John J. Regallis, Jeffrey D. Paker, Nobuo Shimizu, Andrew T. Miklic
  • Publication number: 20080000565
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire for heavy load enabling the co-existence of wet performance and uneven wear resistance performance is provided. The pneumatic tire for heavy load includes three circumferential main grooves 31 and 33 extending on a tread in the circumferential direction, and ribs 11 and 12 defined by these circumferential main grooves 31 and 33. The centerline of the center circumferential main grove 31 among the three circumferential main grooves is positioned on the equator line of the tread, and a thin rib-shaped uneven abrasion sacrificing part (BCR) 21 having a step in a clearance thereof from the surface of the tread is formed only in the center circumferential main groove 31.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2004
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Inventor: Akira Tomita
  • Patent number: 7281555
    Abstract: The invention is to improve wear resistance and resistance to crack growth of an off-the-road tire having a gauge of a tread rubber of 60-200 mm, in which a plurality of widthwise grooves extending substantially in a widthwise direction of the tire are arranged in each side region of the tread, and a pair of circumferential fine grooves continuously extending straight-forward or zigzag in a circumferential direction of the tire are arranged in a central zone of the tread, and a plurality of widthwise fine grooves extending substantially in the widthwise direction of the tire and contacting their grooves walls with each other in a ground contact area are arranged between these circumferential fine grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Ono
  • Patent number: 7234495
    Abstract: An underground mine tire 20 having a nominal bead diameter of 20.0 inches or less has a carcass, a tread 25 and a pair of rubber sidewalls 23, each extending along the outer periphery of the carcass 21 below the tread 25. The tire 20 has a nominal bead width D greater than 8.50 inches and an overall diameter of less than 55 inches. The carcass 21 has at least one radial steel cord reinforced ply 24.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Maurice Jacob Frank, Steven Michael Wilton, Lance Reed Wilkinson, Brian Ernest McMahon, Nicholas Lynn Sticklen
  • Patent number: 7134467
    Abstract: A pneumatic off-the-road (OTR) tire has a plurality of central and shoulder lugs. The central lugs are arranged in a circumferentially continuous row and extend across the equatorial plane (EP). Each central lug is similar in shape and orientation relative to each circumferentially adjacent central lug. The tire is conformed having a tread package that effects a low net-to-gross ratio of less than 40% as measured around the circumference of the tire. The low net to gross tread pattern is incorporated into a relatively low aspect ratio OTR tire for construction and industrial applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2006
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Robert Anthony Neubauer, Mark Henry Mineur, Timothy Patrick Lovell
  • Patent number: 6957676
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a tire designed to be fitted on the driving axles of a motor vehicle for medium or heavy load. This tire is provided with a tread comprising a plurality of full-depth transverse grooves and four circumferential series of inclined grooves and four circumferential series of inclined incisions which delimit five circumferential rows of blocks, namely two axially outer rows, two intermediate rows, and one central row lying essentially across the equatorial plane. Each transverse groove extends across the whole width of the tread, and consists of a central portion, located between a pair of consecutive blocks of the central row, and a pair of lateral portions, located between pairs of consecutive blocks of the intermediate and shoulder rows. The two lateral portions of each transverse groove are staggered circumferentially with respect to each other and penetrate into the body of the central row of blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Flavio Junior Bettiol, Luigi Campana
  • Patent number: 6802922
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus of simple construction for manufacturing a pneumatic tire are provided. Belt wave and unevenness of belt gauge are restrained at a minimum, joining of joint parts is ensured, installation space can be smallest within the limit of necessity and equipment cost is low. In a method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire by charging a green tire having tire components assembled in a mold for vulcanization-molding and forming lug grooves on a tire tread surface, carved grooves are previously formed at positions on a surface of the green tire corresponding to the lug grooves extending in substantially the same direction as the lug grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ueda, Yoshikane Osakabe, Takeshi Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 6705367
    Abstract: In a heavy duty pneumatic radial tire having a lug pattern formed on both sides of a tread portion, each of lug grooves forming lugs is extended from a position separated from an equatorial plane of the tire by a given distance up to each of tread ends and has a platform on a region ranging from a top end portion near to the equatorial plane to a central portion in a longitudinal direction of the lug groove so as to satisfy such a surface shape that a groove depth at the top end portion is made shallower than a groove depth at the central portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuomi Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20020166613
    Abstract: A tread (1) for a tire with a preferred rolling direction, the tread having grooves (2) of substantially circumferential orientation which delimit ribs (30, 31, 32, 33, 35), at least one of which is provided close to each of its traverse edges with a plurality of incisions of width smaller than 1.5 mm. The incisions open onto the contact surface of the tread, are essentially parallel to one another, and having a mean inclination &agr; different from zero relative to the direction perpendicular to the rolling surface (S) of the tread.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Robert Radulescu
  • Publication number: 20020153077
    Abstract: A vehicle tire includes a tread provided with a tread pattern, which is made up of circumferentially arranged design units having a plurality of pitch lengths Pi (i=l to j) including a minimum pitch length Pl and a maximum pitch length Pj. Each of the design units has at least one groove with side walls each having an inclination angle &agr;i in a cross section parallel to the tire equator, and the inclination angle &agr;1 in the design unit having the minimum pitch length P1 is less than the inclination angle &agr;j in the design unit having the maximum pitch length Pj, whereby the rigidity difference between the design units having different pitch lengths is decreased. Preferably, the angle &agr;i in a design unit having a pitch length Pi is not more than the angle &agr;i+1 in a design unit having the next longer pitch length Pi+1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Hanya
  • Publication number: 20020144762
    Abstract: A vehicle tire is provided that includes a tread band formed of profile elements which may be profiled blocks. The profile elements of one group of profile elements are arranged in pitches and are of relatively greater circumferential length than the profile elements in another group of the profile elements. The one group of the profile elements and the other group of profile elements each have sipes and the profile elements of the one group of profile elements are provided with sipes having a relatively greater width than the sipes of the other group of the profile elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2001
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Inventors: Karl Peda, Helmut Rodewald
  • Publication number: 20020100525
    Abstract: An auxiliary groove is formed in tire circumferential direction on a tire central plane of an pneumatic tire according to the present invention. This auxiliary groove is formed, whereby a negative ratio of a center region other than the lug groove is set to 10% to 25%. Thus, a tread heat radiation quantity can be decreased, and a surface area of a tire can be increased. As a result, heat radiation properties can be improved. In addition, as long as the negative ratio is within the above set range, the wear of the tread can be reduced to the minimum. Namely, according to the present invention, there can be provided an pneumatic tire capable of both reducing the wear of the tread to the minimum and improving a heat radiation effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Takubo
  • Patent number: 6386652
    Abstract: A pneumatic driver tire (10) for tracked vehicles (1) has a carcass reinforcing structure (30) having two or more bias angled plies (32, 34), the cords of the first ply (32) being oppositely oriented relative to the cords of the second ply (34). The tire (10) has no integral belts on breakers and preferably has an aspect ratio of about 100 %. The tire (10) has a tread (12) with voids (70) that extend across the entire tread (12) creating soil discharge channels (70). Preferably the tire tread (12) has a central area (66) exhibiting a high net contact area and axially outer areas (60, 62) having lower net contact areas. The tread lugs (40) also have a radiused portion (48) designed to limit the tires sidewalls (16) from contacting the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Mark Leonard Bonko
  • Patent number: 6347653
    Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a plurality of lug grooves formed in the tread portion so as to extend from a tread end toward an equator of the tire, and a central land portion formed between two circumferential lines passing through terminal positions of these lug grooves substantially in a circumferential direction of the tire, wherein the tread portion is made of rubber having a loss tangent at room temperature of 0.04˜0.40, and has a given negative ratio at a region corresponding to at least 50% of a tread width around the equator and a given maximum groove depth of the lug groove located at a zone corresponding to at least 80% of the tread width around the equator, and a circumferential shallow groove is formed in the central land portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6263933
    Abstract: A pneumatic agricultural tire (20) for an industrial type tractor or like vehicle has a plurality of central lugs (60) and a plurality of shoulder lugs (40, 50). The plurality of central lugs (60) are arranged in a circumferentially continuous row and extend across the equatorial plane (EP). Each central lug (60) is similar in shape and orientation relative to each circumferentially adjacent central lug (60). Each central lug (60) has a leading edge (51) and a trailing edge (52). The leading edges (51) of each lug (60) are located on an opposite of the equatorial plane relative to the trailing edge (52) of the same central lug (60). The plurality of shoulder lugs (40, 50) are divided into first and second rows and project radially outwardly from the inner tread (34) and extend from the lateral tread edges (33A, 33H) toward the equatorial plane of the tire (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: André Emile Joseph Baus