Having Grooves Or Sipes With Different Specified Depths Patents (Class 152/209.25)
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Patent number: 11951774Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a center land portion, intermediate land portions, and shoulder land portions each with sipes arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction. Center land sipes have a widened portion with a wide groove width at one end. Shoulder land sipes extend from the outer side of a ground contact end in a lateral direction toward an outer main groove. The orientation of the center and shoulder land sipes with respect to the circumferential direction is opposite to the orientation of intermediate land sipes. Respective inclination angles ?CE, ?MD, ?SH of the center, intermediate and shoulder land sipes satisfy ?CE<?MD<?SH<90°, an end of the intermediate land sipe on the side of the inner main groove is between ends of the center land sipes, and at any position on the entire circumference at least one center or intermediate land sipe is present on a meridian.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2019Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.Inventor: Daisuke Watanabe
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Patent number: 11884107Abstract: The tire includes a tread portion having circumferential grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction and land regions demarcated by the circumferential grooves. The circumferential grooves include a first circumferential groove and a second circumferential groove adjacent to the first circumferential groove and having a width larger than the first circumferential groove. The land regions include a first land region demarcated between the first circumferential groove and the second circumferential groove. The first land region has lateral grooves extending in a tire axial direction and lateral sipes extending in the tire axial direction and each having a width smaller than that of each of the lateral grooves. A total value of the widths of the lateral grooves and the lateral sipes connected to the second circumferential grooves is smaller than a total value of the widths of the lateral grooves and the lateral sipes connected to the first circumferential grooves.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2021Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Tetsuya Yamamoto
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Patent number: 11833865Abstract: In a state in which the pneumatic tire is mounted on a regular rim and inflated to 5% of a specified internal pressure, a tread width is TW, a total tire width is SW in a tire meridian cross-sectional view, a relationship of 0.80?TW/SW?0.95 is satisfied, a ground contact width at a load of 100% of a maximum load capacity is CW100, a ground contact width at a load of 70% of the maximum load capacity is CW70, and a relationship of 1.04?CW100/CW70?1.15 is satisfied.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2019Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.Inventor: Hiroshi Fujii
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Patent number: 11724548Abstract: A tyre includes a tread portion being provided with a longitudinal groove and a land portion being adjacent to the longitudinal groove. The land portion has a ground contact surface defined between a first circumferential edge located on the longitudinal groove side and a second circumferential edge located on an opposite side to the first circumferential edge. The land portion is provided with first lateral grooves and sipes. The first lateral grooves extend from the first circumferential edge and having inner ends thereof terminating within the land portion. The first lateral grooves are provided with tie-bars on the respective inner ends side, the tie-bars having lengths smaller than lengths of the respective first lateral grooves. The sipes include first sipe elements extending form the second circumferential edge to the respective first lateral grooves and second sipe elements extending on the respective tie-bars.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2020Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Mami Monji
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Patent number: 11571933Abstract: A tire having a tread portion with a designated mounting direction. An outer shoulder land portion has outer shoulder lateral grooves. An inner shoulder land portion has inner shoulder lateral grooves. Each outer shoulder lateral groove includes a first outer portion extending in a tire axial direction at an outer tread edge side, and a second outer portion that connects the first outer portion to an outer shoulder main groove and that has a smaller groove width and groove depth than the first outer portion. Each inner shoulder lateral groove has a tie bar raised at a groove bottom thereof. The tie bar is connected to the inner shoulder main groove.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2019Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Taiichiro Amemiya
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Patent number: 11535066Abstract: A tire comprises a tread portion axially divided into four land regions. The tire has a mounting direction to a vehicle and the land regions 4 include a widest outboard middle land region. The outboard middle land region is provided with first, second and third inclined grooves. The first inclined groove extends from a crown main groove and terminates within the outboard middle land region. The second inclined groove has its both ends terminated within the outboard middle land region. The third inclined groove intersects the first and second inclined grooves.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2020Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Yosuke Komori, Hiroshi Yamaoka, Yuta Sakakibara
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Patent number: 11524528Abstract: 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; a maximum depth of the chamfered portion is less than a maximum depth of the sipe; a sipe width of the sipe is constant in a range from an end portion located on an inner side in a tire radial direction of the chamfered portion to a groove bottom of the sipe; and a raised bottom portion is disposed in at least one section of the chamfered portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2017Date of Patent: December 13, 2022Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.Inventor: Mizuki Kuninaka
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Patent number: 11446962Abstract: A tire comprises a tread portion provided with at least one main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction to axially divide the tread portion into land portions. The land portion is provided with axial grooves extending thereacross in the tire axial direction, and each comprising a radially outer portion and a radially inner portion which is wider than the radially outer portion. The radially outer portion of each of the axial grooves is crossed by one ore more sipes.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2018Date of Patent: September 20, 2022Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Shintaro Tomita, Koichi Nakajima
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Patent number: 11318795Abstract: In a pneumatic tire which is formed with plural shallow grooves 40 and plural recesses 32 in a tread and in which the plural shallow grooves 40 extend in parallel, the plural shallow grooves 40 form a saw teeth shape as a cross-sectional shape of the tread in a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the shallow grooves 40, portions corresponding to apexes of the saw teeth shape are formed as edges 44, and the recess 32 is formed between the two edges 44.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2020Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATIONInventor: Jiro Taniguchi
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Patent number: 10953700Abstract: The tread has a total axial width W and a wearable thickness PMU of material and has at least four grooves on each side of a midplane that divides the tread axially into two parts. The grooves divide the tread into a middle, intermediate and edge regions 6. The middle region has an axial width Lm of at least 30% and at most 60% of the total width W. The total volume void ratio when new is less than 17%, and the middle region has a volume void ratio that is less than half the total volume void ratio. The middle region comprises a plurality of transverse sipes opening into the grooves, and the sipes have depths at least equal to 75% of the depth of the grooves. The number of transverse sipes in the middle region is greater than the number of transverse sipes on each intermediate or edge region.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2015Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE, S.A.Inventors: Maxime Rolland, Fabien Marlier, Ronald Cress, Ralston Moore
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Patent number: 10787040Abstract: Tire with radial carcass reinforcement having a tread of thickness E, this tread having a tread surface and at least one cut opening onto the tread surface to form edge corners. The cut extends into the tread over a total depth H. The cut is in the form of a sipe having a width D. There is also formed, in the vicinity, i.e. at a minimum distance from the said edge corner that is at most equal to five times the width D of the cut, of at least one edge corner of this cut and on the tread surface, at least one cavity having a depth h that is small in comparison with the depth of the cut, i.e. that is at most equal to 30% of the depth H. The at least one cavity reduces the compression rigidity of the tread in the vicinity of the the at least one edge corner.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2018Date of Patent: September 29, 2020Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.Inventors: Christophe Gayton, Stephane Oraison, Benjamin Quantinet, Matthieu Vandaele
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Patent number: 10787038Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion that is provided with two block rows formed of three circumferential grooves and a plurality of first transverse grooves. A block that configures the block rows has a hexagonal shape, and has a diagonal extension line passing through a pair of vertices positioned in the central portion in the tire-circumferential direction, the diagonal extension line overlapping, in the tire-circumferential direction, the first transverse groove of the adjacent block rows. The block has a first sipe that is terminated within a block extending in the tire-width direction. The first sipe is provided at a position shifted from the diagonal extension line in the tire-circumferential direction and in a region interposed between planes that are formed by extending, in a direction in which the first transverse groove extends, from a pair of groove wall surfaces of the first transverse groove of the adjacent block rows.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2017Date of Patent: September 29, 2020Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATIONInventor: Tsuyoshi Fujioka
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Patent number: 10688830Abstract: This pneumatic tire has a tread part partitioned by four main grooves into a center land part, an outer intermediate land part, an inner intermediate land part, an outer shoulder land part, and an inner shoulder land part. The center land part is formed with center lug grooves in which the installation outer side is narrower than the installation inner side. The outer intermediate land part is wider than the inner intermediate land part, and the outer shoulder land part is wider than the inner shoulder land part. In the outer (inner) intermediate land part, outer (inner) intermediate first lug grooves which communicate with the main grooves on both sides, and outer (inner) intermediate second lug grooves which communicate only with the main groove on the outside (inside) in the tire width direction are alternatingly arranged in the tire circumferential direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2016Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventor: Shintaro Hayashi
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Patent number: 10618354Abstract: A tire comprises a tread portion 2 having an outboard tread edge To and an inboard tread edge Ti and provided with an outboard shoulder main groove 3 and an outboard crown main groove 4 extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction so as to define an outboard middle land region 10 therebetween. The outboard middle land region 10 comprises outboard middle blocks 17 circumferentially divided by outboard middle lateral grooves 16. Each of the outboard middle blocks 17 is provided with outboard middle sipes 20 extending zigzag in the tire axial direction, wherein each of the outboard middle sipes 20 has an axially outer end terminated within the outboard middle block 17, and the above-said a plurality of outboard middle sipes 20 include at least one outboard middle sipe whose axially inner end is connected with the outboard crown main groove 4.Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2017Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Yuki Kigami
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Patent number: 10611191Abstract: A tire comprises a tread portion comprising a first tread portion defined between a tire equator C and a first tread edge. The first tread portion is provided with a crown main groove extending continuously and straight in a tire circumferential direction on a side of the tire equator C and oblique main grooves extending from the first tread edge toward the tire equator C to cross the crown main groove to form oblique land regions each defined between adjacent oblique main grooves. At least one oblique land region is provided with an inner oblique sub-groove extending from the oblique main groove and terminating within the oblique land region on an axially outer side of the crown main groove and an outer oblique sub-groove connecting between the oblique main grooves adjacent to both sides of the oblique land region on the axially outer side of the inner oblique sub-groove.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2017Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Yasutaka Iwata
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Patent number: 10532613Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a narrow groove on a tread surface, inclined from the tire circumferential direction, groove width being smaller than groove depth, and an air inflow part opening to the tread surface and formed on one of the opposing groove walls. At least one end of the narrow groove is a terminal end. The air inflow part is disposed at the terminal end of the narrow groove, and in a development plan view of the tread surface, ?XOY is an acute angle, where O is an intersection between a widthwise center line of the air inflow part and a groove widthwise center line of the narrow groove, X is a terminal endpoint of the air inflow part along the widthwise center line of the air inflow part, and Y is a lengthwise center point of the narrow groove along the groove widthwise center line.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2014Date of Patent: January 14, 2020Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventor: Naoko Funaki
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Patent number: 10457102Abstract: Groove widths of center main grooves are larger than groove widths of inner and outer main grooves. Plurality of lateral grooves are formed at intervals in a tire circumferential direction so as to define inner shoulder blocks belonging to an inner shoulder row. A first raised portion connecting a pair of inner shoulder blocks to each other is formed in the lateral grooves every one other on an inner main groove side. A depth of the lateral groove in the first raised portion is smaller than the depth of the lateral groove in other portions. A second raised portion is formed on the outer main groove in a region defined by an imaginary line connecting an outer intermediate block and an outer shoulder block. A depth of the outer main groove in the second raised portion is smaller than that of the outer main groove in other portions.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2016Date of Patent: October 29, 2019Assignee: TOYO TIRE CORPORATIONInventor: Jiro Taniguchi
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Patent number: 9789734Abstract: An object is to enhance traction performance and handling stability performance, these being related to braking performance and acceleration performance on snowy road surfaces. A tread (12) of a pneumatic tire (10) includes: two circumferential direction main grooves (14) that are formed further to the tire width direction inside from the tread (12) ground contact edge T than positions at ? of the ground contact width W and that extend along the tire circumferential direction; a central land portion row (16) formed between the two circumferential direction main grooves (14); edge land portion rows (18) respectively formed at tire width direction outsides of the two circumferential direction main grooves (14; and main lug grooves (20) extending in the edge land portion rows (18) from the circumferential direction main grooves (14) towards the ground contact edges T.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2012Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventor: Shungo Fujita
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Patent number: 9764600Abstract: A pneumatic tire for a vehicle is herein disclosed. The pneumatic tire includes a tread, side walls, and beads. A plurality of tread blocks and grooves are formed in the tread. Kerfs are formed in the tread blocks. Each kerf face of each of the kerfs includes a flange portion, a plurality of concave kerf portions, and a plurality of convex kerf portions. The flange portion is formed in the outermost portion of the tread. The concave kerf and convex kerf portions are connected to the flange portion, and are alternately formed in depth and lengthwise directions of the kerf. The concave kerf portions correspond to opposite convex kerf portions. The convex kerf portions correspond to opposite concave kerf portions. The concave and convex kerf portions are configured such that the protrusion directions of the concave and convex kerf portions are opposite to each other.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2015Date of Patent: September 19, 2017Assignee: HANKOOK TIRE CO., LTD.Inventors: Jin Seop Kim, Sang Tak Joo, Sung Hee Youn, Su Jin Son, Myoung Joong Lee, Sang Moo Lee, Mu Yeong Kim
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Patent number: 9718313Abstract: A tire with a radial carcass reinforcement, having a crown reinforcement, itself capped radially by a tread connected to two beads by two sidewalls, the tread containing at least two layers of blended elastomeric compounds that are radially superposed and have a voids ratio that is lower in the central part than at the axially outer parts. A first layer of blended elastomeric compounds of the tread is made up of a first blended elastomeric compound forming a part extending at least into the region of the equatorial plane and of at least two axially outer parts formed of a second blended elastomeric compound, the first blended elastomeric compound having a macro dispersion Z-value higher than 65 and a maximum tan(?) value, denoted tan(?)max, lower than 0.150, and the elongation at break in a tearability test of the second blended elastomeric compound at 100° C. having a value at least 10% higher than that of the elongation at break of the first blended elastomeric compound in a tearability test at 100° C.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.Inventors: Lucien Bondu, Jr., Francois Harle, Olivier Goncalves, Cecile Belin
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Patent number: 9718312Abstract: A tire with a radial carcass reinforcement, having a crown reinforcement, itself capped radially by a tread connected to two beads by two sidewalls, the tread having at least two layers of blended elastomeric compounds that are radially superposed and have a voids ratio that is lower in the central part than at the axially outer parts. A first layer of blended elastomeric compounds of the tread is made up of a first blended elastomeric compound forming a part extending at least into the region of the equatorial plane and of at least two axially outer parts formed of a second blended elastomeric compound, the first blended elastomeric compound having a macro dispersion Z-value higher than 65 and a maximum tan(?) value, denoted tan(?)max, lower than 0.120, and the complex dynamic shear modulus G* 1% at 100° C. of the second blended elastomeric compound having a value at least 10% higher than that of the complex dynamic shear modulus G* 1% at 100° C. of the first blended elastomeric compound.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.Inventors: Lucien Bondu, Jr., Francois Harle, Olivier Goncalves, Cecile Belin
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Patent number: 9713942Abstract: A tire with a radial carcass reinforcement, having a crown reinforcement, itself capped radially by a tread connected to two beads by two sidewalls, the tread having at least two layers of blended elastomeric compounds that are radially superposed and have a voids ratio that is lower in the central part than at the axially outer parts. A first layer of blended elastomeric compounds of the tread is made up of a first blended elastomeric compound forming a part extending at least into the region of the equatorial plane and of at least two axially outer parts formed of a second blended elastomeric compound, the first blended elastomeric compound having a macro dispersion Z-value higher than 65 and a maximum tan(?) value, denoted tan(?)max, lower than 0.150, and the second blended elastomeric compound having a maximum tan(?) value, denoted tan(?)max, lower than 0.130.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 25, 2017Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche Et Technique, S.A.Inventors: Lucien Bondu, Francois Harle, Olivier Goncalves, Cecile Belin
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Patent number: 9713941Abstract: A tire of which the tread contains at least two layers of blended elastomeric compounds that are radially superposed and have a voids ratio that is lower in the central part than at the axially outer parts. A first layer of blended elastomeric compounds of the tread is made up of a first blended elastomeric compound forming a part extending at least into the region of the equatorial plane and of at least two axially outer parts formed of a second blended elastomeric compound, the first blended elastomeric compound having a Z-value higher than 55 and a tan(?)max value lower than 0.120, the second blended elastomeric compound having a Z-value higher than 50 and a tan(?)max value lower than 0.100, and the complex modulus G*1% at 100° C. of the second blended elastomeric compound having a value at least 5% higher than that of the modulus G*1% at 100° C. of the first blended elastomeric compound.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 25, 2017Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche El-Technique, S.A.Inventors: Lucien Bondu, Jr., Francois Harle, Olivier Goncalves, Cecile Belin
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Patent number: 9701161Abstract: A tire of which the tread contains at least two layers of blended elastomeric compounds that are radially superposed and has a voids ratio that is lower in the central part than at the axially outer parts thereof. A first layer of blended elastomeric compounds of the tread is made up of a first blended elastomeric compound forming a central part, and of two outer parts formed of a second blended compound, the first blended compound having a Z-value higher than 55, the first blended compound and the second blended compound having a tan(?)max value lower than 0.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 11, 2017Assignees: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE S.A.Inventors: Lucien Bondu, Francois Harle, Olivier Goncalves, Cecile Belin
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Patent number: 9636952Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire includes a tread portion provided with circumferentially extending zigzag shaped main grooves, a plurality of land portions separated by the main grooves, and a plurality of lateral grooves to form a plurality of block elements on each land portion. Each land portion comprises a number of pitches in a range of from 40 to 50, wherein each pitch consists of one block element and one lateral groove adjacent to the concerned block element. Each block element has a length in a range of from 85% to 95% of a length of the pitch. The main grooves include a crown main groove, a shoulder main groove, and a middle main groove. The middle main groove has a zigzag amplitude larger than those of the crown main groove and the shoulder main groove.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2014Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Taro Okabe, Makoto Igarashi, Minoru Nishi
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Patent number: 9592645Abstract: A tire vulcanization forming mold and a tire manufacturing method using the same. In the forming mold, a plurality of segment blocks divided in a circumferential direction are equal in circumferential length and are formed with tread forming patterns of plural kinds on which blades for forming tread patterns on a tire are arranged in different arrays. The segment blocks formed with the tread forming patterns of the plural kinds are arranged randomly in the circumferential direction to constitute the mold of a ring shape covering a whole circumference of the tire.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2012Date of Patent: March 14, 2017Assignees: FUJI SHOJI CO., LTD., FUJI SEIKO CO., LTD.Inventor: Tatsumi Tanaka
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Patent number: 9457621Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire includes a tread portion provided with at least one circumferentially and continuously extending main groove, and a plurality of lateral grooves to form circumferentially repeated pitch elements each of which consists of one lateral groove and a block element divided between two adjacent lateral grooves. The tread portion has a land ratio in a range of from 70% to 80%, and the pitch elements in a range of from 40 to 50. Each lateral groove has a circumferential groove width in a range of from 5% to 15% in relation to a circumferential length of the pitch element, and an angle in a range of from 45 to 85 degrees with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2014Date of Patent: October 4, 2016Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Taro Okabe
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Patent number: 9387729Abstract: Both wet weather performance and steering stability performance are achieved. Lateral main grooves (16) formed in a tread (12) extend in a direction intersecting with circumferential main grooves (14) and open onto the circumferential main grooves (14). Water between the tread (12) and a road surface during wet weather running is accordingly discharged through the lateral main grooves (16) to the circumferential main grooves (14). The end portions of the lateral main grooves (16) opening onto the circumferential main groove (14) are provided with intersection portions 18 where first land portions (21) and second land portions (22) adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction at a lateral main groove (16) support each other in the tire width direction. The end portions at the circumferential main groove (14) side of the first land portions (21) and the second land portions (22) do not therefore readily tilt over even when a large slip angle is imparted to the tire.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2011Date of Patent: July 12, 2016Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventors: Naotoshi Aoki, Yukihiro Kiwaki
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Patent number: 9375981Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion with a left-right asymmetry tread pattern including inboard and outboard tread edges, a pair of inboard and outboard center main grooves to form a center portion therebetween, a pair of inboard and outboard shoulder main grooves to form a pair of middle portions and a pair of shoulder portions, inboard lateral main grooves extending from the inboard tread edge beyond the tire equator without reaching the outboard center main groove, inboard shoulder lateral grooves between adjacent inboard lateral main grooves, outboard shoulder lateral grooves extending from the axially outside of the outboard tread edge without reaching the outboard shoulder main groove, inboard middle lateral grooves between adjacent inboard lateral main grooves and extending from the inboard shoulder main groove without reaching the inboard center main groove, outboard middle lateral grooves and outboard middle sub lateral grooves.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2012Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Keiji Takagi
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Patent number: 9186936Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a tire possessing improved wear resistance by optimizing configurations of block land portions. The tire is configured such that, in at least two adjacent block land portion arrays 5 sandwiching a circumferential groove 2, adjacent block land portions 4 constituting the block land portion arrays 5 are arranged so as to be positionally displaced from each other in the tire circumferential direction; and a distance d2 between the block land portions adjacent in the tire width direction is shorter than a distance d1 between the block land portions adjacent in the tire circumferential direction. A groove portion 8 between the block land portions adjacent in the tire width direction extends obliquely with respect to the tire width direction and the tire circumferential direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2009Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventors: Nagakazu Kuwahara, Akiyoshi Shimizu
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Patent number: 9180739Abstract: A plurality of blocks is provided in a tread portion and a plurality of sipes is provided in a tread surface of the blocks. In the sipes, protrusions are formed on a first sipe wall surface of mutually opposing sipe wall surfaces and recesses that engage with the protrusions are formed on a second sipe wall surface. Collapsing of the portions of the blocks sandwiched by the sipes is suppressed due to the engaging of the protrusions and the recesses. A height of the protrusions provided on the sipe wall surfaces of the sipes located at the edges in the tire circumferential direction is greater than a height of the protrusions provided on the sipe wall surfaces of the other sipes. Specifically, a force that works to suppress bending deformation increases and collapsing of the portions of the blocks located at the edges in the tire circumferential direction is suppressed.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2011Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.Inventor: Masaaki Nagayasu
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Patent number: 9085201Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided with a tread pattern of left-right asymmetry having an outboard tread edge and an inboard tread edge, and a cap tread rubber having a hardness of from 60 to 75 degrees. An outboard crown land zone defined between middle and outboard main grooves is provided with a circumferentially extending crown sub groove and a crown narrow groove and outboard crown lateral grooves so as to form one row of central crown blocks having an axial width W1, one row of outboard crown blocks having an axial width W2, and one circumferentially extending crown narrow rib having an axial width W3, wherein the axial widths satisfy W1>=W2>=W3.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2011Date of Patent: July 21, 2015Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Takuya Horiguchi
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Patent number: 9033012Abstract: A tire 1 comprises rib-shaped land portions 20 extending in a tire circumferential direction TC and has a circumferential groove 30 adjacent to the land portions 20 and extending in the tire circumferential direction TC. Tread contact surfaces 10 of the land portions 20 form smooth surfaces with no gap when a normal load is applied and the tread contact surfaces are in contact with a road surface. The circumferential groove 30 includes a shallow groove portion 40 extending in the tread-width direction TW, and a deep groove portion 50 adjacent to the shallow groove portion 40 in the tire circumferential direction and extending in the tread-width direction. A deep groove portion 50 is recessed more inwardly in a tire radial direction TR than the shallow groove portion 40 with a groove bottom 40c of the shallow groove portion 40 being an upper end of the deep groove portion 50.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2010Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventors: Yukihiro Kiwaki, Takaaki Kojima
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Publication number: 20150129098Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire of which the stiffness of tread blocks is improved in a circumferential direction. According to embodiments of the present invention, second grooves are formed to have a depth larger than the depth of a first groove so that the volume of the first blocks is similar to the volume of the second blocks and the stiffness of the first blocks is similar to the stiffness of the second blocks. Further, a first angle is made to be larger than a second angle so that the stiffness of the first blocks is similar to the stiffness of the second blocks. Accordingly, there is an effect of improving the braking performance or grip performance of a tire by making the stiffness of the tire uniform in the circumferential direction of the tire.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2014Publication date: May 14, 2015Inventor: Hyeun Soo LEE
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Patent number: 9027614Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with circumferentially continuous main grooves and lateral grooves to form blocks in circumferential rows. The main grooves include a pair of shoulder main grooves disposed one on each side of the tire equator so that the center line thereof is at a distance of 0.30 to 0.65 times one half of the tread width from the tire equator. The blocks include crown blocks disposed in a tread crown region between the shoulder main grooves, and shoulder blocks disposed in shoulder regions axially outside the shoulder main grooves. Each of the crown blocks and shoulder blocks is provided with at least one axially extending sipe.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2011Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Yoshiyuki Tobino
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Patent number: 9027613Abstract: A heavy duty tire comprises a tread portion provided with tread blocks each provided in the ground contact surface thereof with a single zigzag sipe. A ratio A/B of a block length (A) which is the circumferential length of the block measured along a straight line passing through the centroid of the ground contact surface to a maximum block width (B) which is the axial distance between the axial extreme ends of the ground contact surface is 0.8 to 1.7. The zigzag sipe is disposed within a central region which is defined as extending from the centroid of the ground contact surface towards each side in the tire circumferential direction by 25% of the block length (A).Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2011Date of Patent: May 12, 2015Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Takeshi Hamada
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Publication number: 20150107741Abstract: A tire 1 includes plural land portions 40 formed on a tread portion 10. The plural land portions 40 are segmented by a circumferential direction groove 30 extending in a tire circumferential direction L and a width direction groove 20, or segmented by an end portion 10E of the tread portion 10 in the tire width direction W and the width direction groove 20. A length of the width direction groove 20 in the tire width direction W is not less than 30% of a length of the tread portion 10 in the tire width direction W. The width direction groove 20 has at least one angled portion 50A/50B configured to be bent toward an opposite direction to a tire rotational direction R on at least one side of a tire equator line CL.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2013Publication date: April 23, 2015Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventors: Tomoo Hasegawa, Fumihiro Nomura, Yosuke Mori
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Patent number: 8955565Abstract: Road-going assembly consisting of a vehicle comprising a front axle and a rear axle, and of a set of tires which are mounted on their mounting rim in order to be fitted to the front axle and the rear axle of this vehicle, the tires of the rear axle having grooves the mean depths of which are at least equal to 3 mm and at most equal to 5 mm, the tires of the front axle having grooves the mean depths of which are greater than 5 mm, this road-going assembly having, at least in the case of the rear axle, static setups (camber, toe-in) of close to zero, that is to say a camber of each wheel-tire assembly on the said axle of between ?0.8 degrees and +0.8 degrees and a toe-in at each wheel of between ?0.15 degrees and +0.15 degrees, the static setups of the tires of one and the same axle being equal in terms of absolute value and symmetric with respect to a plane perpendicular to the road surface.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2009Date of Patent: February 17, 2015Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.Inventors: Frédéric Perrin, Nicolas Levy
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Patent number: 8925600Abstract: Winter tyre includes a tread band on which a plurality of grooves, blocks and sipes of complex shape are provided, wherein the complex shape of the sipe is defined by a first protuberance having a vertex at a first depth from the tread surface. The vertex is connected to a sipe reference plane via a first connecting surface facing toward a radially outer side of the sipe and a second connecting surface facing toward a radially inner side of the sipe, the first connecting surface being inclined with respect to the plane of reference at an angle of between about 50° and about 90°, and the second connecting surface being inclined with respect to the plane of reference at an angle of between about 0° and about 50°.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2012Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: Pirelli Tyre S.p.A.Inventors: Andrea Trombin, Stefano Montesello, Gianfranco Colombo
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Patent number: 8910682Abstract: A pneumatic tire having an enhanced cracking resistance at groove bottom, including at least one circumferential main groove 9 having such a sectional profile shape as including an axially inner wall portion 13, an inner arc portion 14 continuous with the inner wall portion 13, an axially outer wall portion 15 having a smaller length than the inner wall portion 13, an outer arc portion 16 continuous with outer wall portion 15, and a groove bottom portion 17 extending straight between the outer and inner arc portions while being inclined in a radially inward direction, in which the groove 9 has a maximum depth portion 18 on the tire equator side with respect to center position G1 of its width, and radius of curvature R1 of inner arc portion 14 and radius of curvature R2 of outer arc portion 16 satisfy the following relationships: R1?0.6 mm and R2?2×R1.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 2011Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Kenji Ueda
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Publication number: 20140345767Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with blocks each provided with a first variable depth sipe and a second variable depth sipe each having both axial ends opened at edges of the block on both sides thereof in the tire axial direction. In each block, a shallow portion of the first variable depth sipe overlaps, in the tire axial direction, with a deep main portion of the second variable depth sipe. an axial groove dividing the blocks is provided with a tie bar overlapping, in the tire axial direction, with the deep main portion of the adjacent variable depth sipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2014Publication date: November 27, 2014Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Satoshi TANAKA, Tadashi ITO
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Publication number: 20140299244Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire includes a tread portion provided with at least three circumferential main grooves, and a plurality of lateral grooves extending between adjacent main grooves or between one main groove and a tread edge, to form at least one block row comprising a plurality of blocks. The block row comprises a plurality of pitch elements each of which consists of circumferentially adjacent one lateral groove and one block. The tread portion has a land ratio in a range of from 70% to 80%. The block row comprises a number of pitch elements in a range of from 40 to 50, and each lateral groove has a groove width in a range of from 5% to 15% in relation to a circumferential length of the block in each pitch element.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2014Publication date: October 9, 2014Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Taro OKABE
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Publication number: 20140299245Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire including a land portion provided with a sipe, which is capable of simultaneously providing snow performance, dry performance, and wet performance all at high level in a single land portion. The pneumatic tire includes a land portion 2 on a tread portion. The land portion 2 is provided with a sipe 5 having amplitude in a tire circumferential direction and extending in a tire width direction. In a depth direction extending from a land portion surface S toward an inner side in a tire radial direction, sipe 5 includes: a land portion's surface-side part 5a1 bent toward tire circumferential direction from land portion surface S; and a land portion's bottom-side part 5a2 bent in a direction different from a direction of land portion's surface-side part 5a1 or bent toward tire circumferential direction by a displacement different from a displacement of land portion's surface-side part 5a1.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2012Publication date: October 9, 2014Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATIONInventor: Yoshio Kaji
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Patent number: 8844590Abstract: In a tire 1, a central land portion row 20C and intermediate land portion rows 20M are formed by center-side main grooves 10C. A projecting portion 50 projecting outwardly in a tire radial direction TR from a groove bottom surface 11 of the center-side main groove 10C is provided in the central groove 10C. The projecting portion 50 is located on an extension line L1 extending in an extending direction of lug grooves 30M, and extends outwardly in the tread width direction TW from a sidewall 21 of the central land portion row 20C. An inner end height H1 of the projecting portion 50 located on an innermost side thereof in the tread width direction TW and continuous to the central land portion row 20C is greater than an outer end height H2 of the projecting portion 50 located on an outermost side thereof in the tread width direction TW.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2010Date of Patent: September 30, 2014Assignee: Bridgestone CorporationInventor: Yukihiro Kiwaki
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Publication number: 20140261938Abstract: Particular embodiments of the present invention include multi-wear layer treads having variable depth grooves for retreaded tires, retreaded tires, and methods of forming retreaded tires. In particular embodiments, such multi-wear layer tire treads include a thickness bounded depthwise by a top side configured to engage a ground surface during tire operation and a bottom side configured for attachment to a tire carcass, the thickness extending laterally between opposing side edges and longitudinally in a lengthwise direction of the tread. Such tread may further include a top groove extending a variable depth into the tread thickness from the top side, the top groove having a groove bottom that varies depthwise within the tread thickness to form multiple wear layers. In other embodiments, top grooves may or may not be variable depth grooves, while the tread further include a bottom groove extending a variable depth into the tread thickness from the bottom side.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2011Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicants: MICHELIN RECHERCHE ET TECHNIQUE, S.A., COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELINInventors: E. Bruce Colby, Dimitri G. Tsihlas, Cesar E. Zarak
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Patent number: 8820372Abstract: Tire tread comprising a plurality of elements forming relief, each element comprising a contact face, a plurality of elements of the tread being provided with at least one incision, this incision opening onto the contact face in order to form second edges parallel with one another and with an average orientation at most equal to 45° with the direction of the axis of rotation of the tire provided with this tread, each incision also opening onto two lateral surfaces of the element so as to form strips having a length L and a width d, this width d being less than the length L, each strip comprising at least one cavity entirely contained in the strip and of which the largest dimension is oriented so as to be in the direction of the length of the strip inside which it is formed, each cavity having a length Lc, measured along its largest dimension, which is between 10% and 90% of the length L of the strip, the total of the lengths Lc of all the cavities of one and the same strip being more than 10% of the length LType: GrantFiled: December 2, 2009Date of Patent: September 2, 2014Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.Inventor: Eric Berger
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Patent number: 8813801Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a tread surface for simultaneously achieving both enhanced on-ice performance and enhanced durability. The pneumatic tire includes sipes extending in the width direction of the tire that are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the tire at least in shoulder blocks that are divided by longitudinal grooves extending in the circumferential direction of the tire and by lateral grooves extending in the width direction of the tire. Open sipes and closed sipes are alternately arranged, and the depth of the open sipes is less than the depth of the closed sipes.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2009Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LtdInventor: Takahiro Yamakawa
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Publication number: 20140230983Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided in the tread portion with a central land portion between two crown main grooves. The central land portion is provided with notches each having a depth of 55% to 65% of the depth of the crown main groove and having a closed end and an open end opening to the crown main groove. The maximum axial length of the central notch is 10% to 15% of the maximum axial length of the central land portion, and the circumferential length of the opening is 10% to 15% of one circumferential pitch of the shoulder block row 7R. The circumferential length of the opening is 15% to 25% of one circumferential pitch of the central notches.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Masao TAGASHIRA, Hiroyuki NAKAYAMA
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Patent number: 8800617Abstract: There is provided a pneumatic tire to improve on-ice braking performance.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2009Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Bridgestone CorporationInventor: Yoshio Kaji
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Publication number: 20140216620Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire includes a tread portion provided with at least one circumferentially extending main groove, at least one circumferentially extending sub groove, and a plurality of lateral grooves to form repeated pitch elements each of which consists of one lateral groove and a block element. The sub groove includes a shallow bottom part with a depth smaller than that of the main groove. The shallow bottom part of the sub groove is provided with a groove bottom sipe. The lateral grooves include a shallow bottom part with a depth smaller than that of the main groove. The shallow bottom part of the lateral groove is provided with a groove bottom sipe. The lateral grooves have groove widths W2 in a range of from 5% to 15% in relation to a circumferential length L1 of the pitch element.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2014Publication date: August 7, 2014Applicant: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Kaori TANAKA