Having Circumferential Groove Width At Least 10% Per Cent Of Tread Width Patents (Class 152/209.26)
  • Patent number: 11833860
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire. At least one land portion is defined and formed by a plurality of circumferential main grooves provided in a tread surface. A main sipe including a body portion and a chamfered portion is formed in at least one side of the body portion. A branch sipe branching from the chamfered portion is provided. The depth of the body portion is equal to or greater than the depth of the branch sipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiraku Koda, Ryohei Takemori, Yuki Sasaya
  • Patent number: 10286731
    Abstract: Tire formed of two halves separated by a median plane, comprising a crown comprising a crown reinforcement comprising a first reinforcing ply (80) and a second reinforcing ply (90) having two axial ends, which is situated radially on the outside of the first reinforcing ply and surmounted by a hooping reinforcement (100) made up of circumferentially orientated reinforcing elements, in which tire the absolute value of the difference D between the distance D1 of the first axial end (92) from the median plane and the distance D2 of the second axial end (93) from the median plane is greater than or equal to 4 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm (4 mm?|D|=|D1?D2|?10 mm).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventors: Pascal Pirotte, Christophe Egerszegi
  • Patent number: 10245897
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire according to the present invention including a tread surface having at least one circumferential groove extending along a tire circumferential direction and a plurality of widthwise grooves opening to the circumferential groove, the widthwise grooves having a groove width wider than a groove width of the circumferential groove at least in a portion opening to the circumferential groove and, the widthwise grooves extending in a direction inclined with respect to the tire circumferential direction, wherein a recess is formed on a groove wall surface of the circumferential groove opposite to the widthwise groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuki Kawakami
  • Patent number: 10220654
    Abstract: A tire for an aeroplane and, in particular, to the crown of a tire for an aeroplane, having reduced dimensions and mass of the pieces of tread in the event of accidental tire tread separation, without the use of additional devices external to the tire and therefore without penalizing the payload of the aeroplane, including a tread intended to come into contact with the ground via a tread surface and comprised radially between a bottom surface and the tread surface, the tread comprising at least two circumferential ribs adjacent to at least one circumferential groove, each circumferential rib extending radially between the bottom surface and the tread surface and axially between two edge corners in the tread surface, and a crown reinforcement radially on the inside of the bottom surface, wherein a tread separation layer is arranged radially on the inside of at least one circumferential rib between the bottom surface and the crown reinforcement, axially between the two edge corners of the said circumferential r
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignees: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche Et Technique, S.A.
    Inventors: Francois Chambriard, Gilles Roche
  • Patent number: 10071601
    Abstract: Each shoulder land region 4E defined by a shoulder circumferential main groove 3E is provided with a circumferential narrow groove 20 and axially inner and outer shoulder oblique grooves 22 and 21 extending therefrom. The axially outer shoulder oblique grooves 21 are inclined with respect to the tire axial direction to one direction. The axially inner shoulder oblique grooves 22 are inclined with respect to the tire axial direction to one direction opposite to that of the axially outer shoulder oblique grooves 21. Crown oblique grooves 8 are inclined with respect to the tire axial direction to one direction same as that of the axially outer shoulder oblique grooves 21. Imaginary extensions 21K of the axially outer shoulder oblique grooves 21 are not overlapped with openings Q1 of the axially inner shoulder oblique grooves 22 at the circumferential narrow groove 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Dai Kurosawa, Takuya Sato
  • Patent number: 9994077
    Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire having high snow road performance. Provided is a pneumatic tire, the direction of mounting of which to a vehicle is specified. A tread section has formed therein an outer shoulder main groove which extends in a zigzag pattern, an outer middle main groove, outer shoulder lateral grooves, and outer middle lateral grooves. As a result, outer shoulder lands and outer middle lands are formed on the tread section. The outer shoulder lands are provided with outer shoulder lug grooves, and the outer middle lands are provided with outer middle lug grooves. The outer shoulder lateral grooves and the outer middle lug grooves are smoothly connected through the outer shoulder main groove. The outer middle lateral grooves and the outer shoulder lug grooves are smoothly connected through the outer shoulder main groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Aya Wakizono
  • Patent number: 9796216
    Abstract: A heavy duty tire is disclosed. The distance from the radially outer surface of a belt layer to the tire's inner surface is 15 to 23 mm when measured along a tire radial direction line passing through the bottom of a shoulder main groove. The width of the shoulder main groove is more than the width of a center main groove. The ratio Wc:Wm:Ws of the average width Wc of a center land portion, the average width Wm of a middle land portion, and the average width Ws of a shoulder land portion is 1.00:1.00 to 1.08:1.03 to 1.13. The middle land portion is provided with a plurality of middle axial grooves. The shoulder land portion is provided with a plurality of shoulder axial grooves. The width of the shoulder axial groove is more than the width of the middle axial groove. The angle ?s of the shoulder axial groove is more than the angle ?m of the middle axial groove with respect to the tire axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Daisuke Todoroki
  • Patent number: 9370972
    Abstract: A tire provided with a plurality of land portions formed by a main groove extending along a tire circumferential direction, wherein the main groove is formed with one intra-groove recessed in a tire inner direction from a surface of the main groove, the intra-groove comprises: a first circumferential groove portion extending along the tire circumferential direction on the first groove wall; a first inclined portion extending from the first groove wall toward the second groove wall on a groove bottom of the main groove; a second circumferential groove portion extending along the tire circumferential direction on the second groove wall; and a second inclined portion extending from the second groove wall toward the first groove wall on the groove bottom of the main groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yukihiro Kiwaki
  • Patent number: 9027613
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi Hamada
  • 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: 8091598
    Abstract: A motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion having a tread face curved along a radially outwardly convex arc in the cross section of the tire including the rotational axis of the tire. The tread face is provided in the ground contacting region during straight running with three parallel circumferential grooves which are: a wide circumferential groove having a width Wg1 of from 8 to 16 mm and extending along the tire equator; and a pair of narrow circumferential grooves disposed one on each side of the tire equator and having a width Wg2 less than the width Wg1. Each of the narrow circumferential grooves is positioned such that the distance L1 measured along the tread face from the tire equator to the axially outside edge of the narrow circumferential groove is not more than 35% of the width (tw) of the ground contacting region during straight running measured along the tread face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20090114325
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a wide cross belt having a width not smaller than 92% and not lager than 100% of a width of a tread; and a narrow cross belt having a width smaller than that of the wide cross belt and a tire width direction outer end positioned on a tire width direction outer side with respect to a tire width direction inner edge of an outermost land portion. The tread has open sipes penetrating through the outermost land portion in the tire width direction and formed along the tire circumferential direction, and lug grooves extending along the open sipes on a contact surface of the outermost land portion and having a tire width direction outer end positioned between a tire width direction outer end of the wide cross belt and the tire width direction outer end of the narrow cross belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: May 7, 2009
    Applicant: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takahide Ishizaka
  • Patent number: 7464738
    Abstract: A tire for a wheel of a vehicle includes a carcass, a belt structure, and a tread. The tread pattern includes at least two circumferential grooves and at least three circumferential ribs. The grooves include a zigzag configuration and a shape repeated according to a circumferential pitch. Within a single pitch, each groove includes at least two directions different from a circumferential direction of the tire, generating at least two ground-gripping fronts in each of two rotation directions of the tire, and at least one blind transverse cut extending from opposite sides of the groove, generating a third ground-gripping front. Ends of the blind transverse cuts are positioned on planes parallel to each other and to an equatorial plane of the tire. The first plane and the second plane delimit a continuous portion of at least one of the circumferential ribs. The continuous portion includes a constant axial width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Flavio Junior Bettiol, Luigi Campana
  • Patent number: 7360569
    Abstract: It is a subject to improve wet performances and noise performances while restricting degradations in dry performances, and for solving this subject, the pneumatic tire is comprised of a tread grounding surface that is partitioned into four to five regions by three to four main grooves that extend successively in the tire circumferential direction. The main grooves are comprised of one large width main groove which groove width comprises 4 to 20% of a tread grounding width and which is apart from the tire equator by a distance corresponding to 5 to 30% of the tread grounding width further to one grounding end side, and small width main grooves that are disposed between the large width main groove and the other grounding end and which groove width is larger than 2.0 mm but smaller than that of the large width main groove. Both groove side edges of the large width main groove extends in a successive and linear manner in the tire circumferential direction without being interrupted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiki Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20080047643
    Abstract: A heavy duty tire is vulcanized in a segmented mold having a tread molding surface defined by circumferentially arranged segments. The tread portion is molded by the tread molding surface during vulcanization of the tire, wherein the stretch of the belt layer in the tire radial direction during vulcanization is in a range of from 3.2 to 5.2%. the tread portion is provided with an axially outermost circumferential groove at an axial distance from the tire equator which distance is in a range of from 50% to 68% of one half of the tread width. The footprint shape satisfies the following conditions: (1) 1.05=<SL0/SL70=<1.18; and (2) 0.95=<SL70/SL97=<1.05, wherein SL0, SL70 and SL97 are the circumferential lengths of the footprint shape measured at axial distances of 0%, 70% and 97%, respectively, of one half of the tread width from the tire equator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Inventor: Shingo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7249622
    Abstract: A tire is manufactured on standard tire building equipment and cured in standard curing presses. The tire tread has at least one deep circumferentially extending groove. Within the groove is a separately assembled ring. The ring may be fitted into the deep groove after vulcanization of the tire. For very wide tires, two grooves with two external rings may be used or more than two grooves and beads, depending upon the tire width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: John Kolbjoern Roedseth
  • Patent number: 6971425
    Abstract: A tire for a vehicle wheel includes a carcass structure, a belt structure, and a tread band. The tread band pattern includes a central zone and two axially-opposite shoulder zones. The central zone is delimited between axially-inner circumferential grooves and includes at least two intermediate circumferential grooves and a plurality of first transverse recesses inclined relative to a circumferential direction of the tire. The first transverse recesses are connected to at least one of the intermediate circumferential grooves. The shoulder zones are each delimited between axially-inner and axially-outer circumferential grooves. The shoulder zones include a plurality of second transverse recesses inclined relative to the circumferential direction. The at least one of the intermediate circumferential grooves includes a substantially V-shaped cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Vito Bello, Gianfranco Colombo, Pierangelo Misani
  • Patent number: 6929044
    Abstract: An All Terrain Vehicle Tire (10) for the drive axle positions has a tread (12) having three circumferentially continuous channels (61 62, 63). Two of the channels (62, 63) divide the elongated lugs (40, 42) into an axially inner portion (40A, 42A) and an axially outer portion (40B, 42B). The channels (61, 62, 63) and soil discharge channels (60) between elongated lugs (40, 42) facilitate mud cleaning of the tread (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Timothy Michael Rooney
  • Patent number: 6918420
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with at least one wide circumferential groove, the wide circumferential groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction and having a groove width GW of not less than 5% of the ground contacting width TW, the wide circumferential groove provided in the groove bottom with a groove bottom rib, the groove bottom rib extending continuously along the overall length of the wide circumferential groove, the groove bottom rib having a height Hr in a range of from 0.5 to 3.0 mm and a base width Wr in a range of from 10 to 30% of the groove width GW, and the groove bottom rib provided in the top face with a small groove having a depth Dr of less than the height Hr.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tadao Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6796350
    Abstract: A vehicle tire having a non-uniformly profiled tread with respect to its center, with a circumferential extending superwide groove having a width of at least 30 mm provided in one half of the tread and two further circumferential grooves which are narrower in comparison thereto and which have at most a width of 15 mm being provided in the other tread half.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Dunlop GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Gerresheim, Klaus Riehl, Saburo Miyabe, Hideaki Sugihara
  • Patent number: 6668887
    Abstract: A vehicle tire is described having at least one carcass ply extending between bead regions, a tread region (1) and a belt arrangement (3) disposed between the carcass and the tread as well as a tread profile provided in the tread region having at least one overwide circumferential groove (2) disposed in particular away from the middle and on the inner side of the tire, with the tire region disposed beneath the overwide circumferential groove, which has in particular a width of more than 30 mm, being formed with additional localised reinforcement in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Dunlop GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Gerresheim, Klaus Riehl, Saburo Miyabe, Hans-Joachim Winter
  • Patent number: 6656300
    Abstract: A very high performance tire (1, 101) for vehicles comprises a tread (14) provided with a plurality of transversal grooves (15) circumferentially distributed along the tread (14) in groups alternately extending from opposite shoulder zones (F, G) of the tread (14). The transversal grooves (15) define in an equatorial zone (E) of the tread (14) a substantially isotropic matrix of substantially continuous portions (18) of the tread (14) terminating at an equatorial portion (17) of a same transversal groove (15) of the axially opposite group of grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Riccardo Cesarini, Gianfranco Colombo
  • Publication number: 20030173011
    Abstract: It is to provide a pneumatic safety tire capable of continuing safe running even if an internal tire pressure drops to an atmospheric pressure and easily producing the tire, in which a side reinforcing rubber layer having substantially a crescent form at a section in a widthwise direction is mainly arranged on the sidewall portion and at least one annular depression convexly protruding inward in the radial direction and continuously extending in the circumferential direction is arranged on the belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Inventors: Toru Tsuda, Koya Tagawa, Daisuke Maehara, Tomohisa Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 6601624
    Abstract: A tire tread comprises an intermediate portion disposed between two shoulder portions. The tire tread has an expanded void area with a width and length of 1.2 to 5 times the average width of a non-circumferential groove in the tread. In the illustrated embodiment, the expanded void area is in the intermediate portion of the tread and the void area is divided into two branches which are separated by an island of tread rubber. The illustrated island has a length and a variable width, and has rounded leading and trailing ends. The island is also disposed at an angle with respect to the centerline (CL) of the tread. In the illustrated embodiment, the tread has a circumferential aquachannel, and the islands and the aquachannel are in close proximity to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Billy Joe Ratliff, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6530404
    Abstract: An all terrain vehicle tire (10) has an annular tread (12) and a casing (11) radially inward of the tread (12). The tread (12) has a plurality of tread lugs (92, 94) and a central rib (95). The plurality of tread lugs (92, 94) are disposed on each tread half and spaced axially from the equatorial plane of the tire (10). The spacing from the equatorial plane of the tire (10) is a distance of at least 10% of the tread width. The central rib (95) is located between the plurality of tread lugs (92) on each tread half. The central rib (95) has a nonskid depth as measured from the inner tread surface of less than the maximum nonskid depth of the tread lugs (92, 94). The preferred embodiment tire (10) has a pair of inserts (42), one insert (42) being in each sidewall (18, 20) of the tire (10) and a third insert (70) disposed between a breaker reinforcing structure (36) and at least one ply reinforcing structure (38) of the casing (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Timothy Michael Rooney
  • Patent number: 6505661
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with a wide groove having a bottom width of not less than 20 mm. The wide groove is provided on the groove bottom with at least one longitudinal rib extending in the longitudinal direction of the wide groove, and lateral ribs extending from the longitudinal rib towards a tread face through the groove bottom and a groove wall of the wide groove, whereby occurrence of bareness of tread rubber in the groove bottom can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Nakagawa, Tetsuhiko Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 6499520
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a circumferentially continuously extending wide groove having a width of from 35 to 45 mm disposed in a tread center. A part on each side of the wide groove, which is defined as extending at least 10 mm axially outwards from the groove edge, forms a substantially continuous rib part. A part between the rib part and a tread edge has circumferentially discontinuous grooves so that: an axially inner part has a land ratio La of not less than 90%; a middle part has a land ratio of Lb in a range of from 80 to 90%; and an axially outer part has a land ratio Lc in a range of from 85 to 95%, wherein the axially inner part, middle part and axially outer part are three equiwidth parts between the wide groove and the tread edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuhiko Yoshioka, Yoshiki Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20020195182
    Abstract: A center rib and a second rib are formed at a tread surface of a pneumatic tire along an outer contour line L1 of a radius R1 whose center is at a tire inner side. A shoulder rib is formed at the tread surface along an outer contour line L2 of a radius R2 whose center is at a tire inner side. A step between the outer contour line L1 and a ground contact surface of the shoulder rib decreases toward a tire transverse direction outer end portion. Accordingly, when a heavy load is applied to the pneumatic tire, due to the step between, on the one hand, the shoulder rib, and on the other hand, the center rib and the second rib, uneven wear at the second rib can be suppressed. When a light load is applied, because the step decreases toward the tire transverse direction outer end portion, uneven wear of the shoulder rib can be suppressed. The pneumatic tire exhibits excellent uneven wear resistance at all land portions formed on the pneumatic tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2000
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Naito
  • Publication number: 20020189734
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire in which a block formed in a tread surface has, in a ground contacting surface thereof, a closed sipe which is formed so as to not open onto a groove. The sipe has a first opening formed in the ground-contacting surface of the block, a second opening formed at side surfaces of the block, and a hole which communicates the first opening and the second opening. In accordance with this structure, water taken-in into the sipe from the first opening at the ground-contacting surface of the block is discharged to the second opening contacting at the side surface facing to the groove. As a result, water drainability of the sipe is improved without lowering rigidity of the block. Thus, a ground contacting performance of the block improves. The pneumatic tire therefore has improved performance on wet roads and improved performance on snowy and icy roads without the rigidity of blocks decreasing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventor: Makoto Ishiyama
  • Patent number: 6450223
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire having improved wet traction has two annular aquachannels. The tire has a wide, substantially square footprint, a distinctive tread pattern, and a new tread compound, and exhibits good QGL wet traction in addition to excellent hydroplaning properties. The tire also has good handling and wear properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Samuel Patrick Landers, Billy Joe Ratliff, Jr., Craig David Miller, John Kevin Clark
  • Patent number: 6443199
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire combination for four-wheeled automobile or light truck vehicles. The tire combination has a pair of front steer position tires and a pair of rear position tires. The front steer position tire has a footprint when the tire is normally inflated for normal load that has a footprint shape factor of greater than 1.00 at a 50% load, and about 1.00 at both 85% load and 100% load, the footprint shape factor being defined as the maximum circumferential extent of the tire's footprint at the centerplane of the tire's footprint width divided by the average of the circumferential extent of the tire's footprint width as measured at 40% of the footprint from both sides of the central plane of the footprint. The rear position tire footprint, when the tire is normally inflated for normal load, has a footprint shape factor of about 1.00 at 50% load, and 1.00 or less than 1.00 at 85% load and 100% load when measured similar to the method described for the front position tires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Anthony John Scarpitti, Michael Alois Kolowski, Frederick William Miller, Donald Woodrow Gilliam, Keith Carl Trares
  • Patent number: 6439284
    Abstract: A tread 2 for a pneumatic tire 1 has a central portion defining two circumferentially extending center ribs 22, 23 having an axial width RW, and RN2 ranging from 5% to 25% of the tread width TW. The centermost circumferentially extending groove 8 has on both sides a tapered groove wall edges which form with a plane parallel to the equational plane acute angles &agr;1 and &agr;2 ranging between 1 and 10°. The tread height near both edges of the centermost groove extend radially above the average tread height a maximum extra tread height of between 0.3 mm and 1.7 mm. The extra tread height diminishes progressively from the groove edges P0 P1 toward the respective shoulder 3,4 a distance not exceeding 10% of the treadwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Jean Francoise Leon Fontaine
  • Patent number: 6374883
    Abstract: An aircraft tire with two aquachannels (14) provides a wide band area (17) in the central portion of the tread for improved wear properties. The aquachannels each comprise 4.5% to 7% of the tread width based on the design tread width of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Allen Richard Wilson
  • 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: 6340041
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire including a tread portion provided with two circumferential grooves to divide the tread portion into a pair of shoulder parts and a central part therebetween, each of the circumferential grooves has such a relatively wide width that the maximum axial width (GWmax) thereof in the foot print is not less than 35 mm, and in a meridian section of the tire, the axially inner sidewall each circumferential groove is substantially straight and inclined axially inwards, and the axially outer sidewall of the circumferential groove comprises a convex part extending axially outwardly to a merge point at which the convex part merges into a ground contacting top surface of one of the should parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries
    Inventors: Hideaki Sugihara, Koji Ohkita
  • Patent number: 6305450
    Abstract: A tire (1) for motor-vehicle wheels comprises a tread band (10) and a belt structure (6), the tread band being molded with a raised pattern having a circumferential groove (11). In the absence of load and inflating pressure, the tire is characterized in that the belt structure in a cross-section of the tire has an axial profile comprising three distinct portions, first (14) and second (15) side portions and one central portion (16) interposed between the side portions. The side portions are concave at a radially internal position, in which the concavity is defined for each portion by a respective center and a respective radius of curvature. The central portion is concave at a radially external position where the concavity center of the central portion lies in the center line plane of the circumferential groove, in which the depth of the radially external concavity is canceled under the effect of the normal inflating pressure of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Pirelli Coordinamento Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventor: Romano Guermandi
  • Patent number: 6302174
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is provided in the tread center region with a wide main groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, the main groove divides the tread into two lateral parts, each of the lateral parts is provided with no groove extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, the main groove has a groove width of not less than 35 mm, the main groove has zigzag edges each having a zigzag amplitude of not more than 0.4 times the groove width, and parts of the zigzag edges which are defined as protruding towards the center line of the main groove are rounded by an arc, and the radius of curvature of the arc is in the range of from 2 to 15 mm when measured in the tire meridian section at the peak of the protruding part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshiaki Suzuki
  • 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
  • Patent number: 6209602
    Abstract: A pneumatic agricultural tire 20,200 for an industrial type tractor or like vehicle has a plurality of central lugs 50 and a plurality of shoulder lugs 40. The plurality of central lugs 50 are arranged in a circumferentially continuous row 60 and extend across the equatorial plane (EP). Each central lug 50 is similar in shape and orientation relative to each circumferentially adjacent central lug 50. Each central lug 50 has a leading end 51 and a trailing end 53. The leading ends 51 of each lug 50 is located on an opposite of the equatorial plane relative to the trailing end 53 of the same central lug 50. The plurality of shoulder lugs 40 are divided into first and second rows 44,46 and project radially outwardly from the inner tread 34 and extend from the lateral tread edges 33A,33B toward the equatorial plane of the tire 20,200. The shoulder lugs 40 have an axially inner end 41 being axially spaced from a leading end 51 and a trailing end 53 of the axially adjacent central lugs 53.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Mark Leonard Bonko
  • Patent number: 6176284
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a block type tread pattern improved in stone trapping, which comprises a tread portion being provided with a mesh of grooves to define a plurality of blocks consisting of shoulder blocks adjacent to the tread edges and central blocks other than the shoulder blocks, each of the central blocks being surrounded by at least one projection standing out from the groove bottom leaving spaces from the groove walls, the projection comprising alternate wide main portions and narrow coupler portions, the height of the wide main portions being 10 to 25% of the groove depth, the height of the narrow coupler portions being 5 to 10% of the groove depth, the length of each of the wide main portions being 3 to 10 mm, the length of each of the narrow coupler portions being 2 to 8 mm, the width of the narrow coupler portions being 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Takada
  • Patent number: 6170546
    Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion which is provide with wide circumferential grooves having a width Wm1 of 4.0 mm to 20.0 mm and narrow circumferential grooves having a width Wm2 of not less than 2.0 mm but less than 4.0 mm, and each region which is defined between one of the wide circumferential grooves and the axially adjacent narrow circumferential groove is provided with axial grooves extending from the wide circumferential groove to the narrow circumferential groove to circumferentially divide the region into blocks, wherein the axial grooves include variable-width grooves of which groove width increases from the wide circumferential groove to the narrow circumferential groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Koyama, Mitsuharu Koya