Bead Characterized By The Radial Extent Of Apex, Flipper Or Chafer Into Tire Sidewall Patents (Class 152/546)
  • Patent number: 6763868
    Abstract: A carcass structure for a two-wheeled vehicle tire includes at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular reinforcing structures. The at least one carcass ply includes a first series and at least one second series of strip sections circumferentially distributed in a mutually-alternated sequence around a geometric rotation axis of the tire. Each strip section includes longitudinal and parallel thread elements at least partly coated with at least one layer of elastomer material and extends in a substantially U-shaped configuration to define two side portions and a crown portion. The annular reinforcing structures are applied against end flaps of the first series of strip sections and are overlapped by end flaps of the at least one second series of strip sections. Each of the annular reinforcing structures includes an annular anchoring insert, including one or more elongated elements extending in radially-concentric coils, and at least one filling body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.P.A.
    Inventor: Renato Caretta
  • Patent number: 6758253
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a radial carcass extending between a pair of bead cores and having a turnup portion, a bead filler rubber, and one or more reinforcing cord layers arranged at a side face zone ranging from the bead portion to the sidewall portion, in which the reinforcing cord layer is a layer of one or more rubberized cords spirally wound about an axial line of the tire and has an inner end in a radial direction of the tire between a position located outward from an outer periphery of the bead core in the radial direction and a position located inward from a tapered end of the bead filler rubber in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Itoi
  • Patent number: 6736178
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a carcass ply extending between bead portions and is turned up around a bead core in each bead portion to form two turnup portions and a main portion therebetween; each of the turnup portion extends radially outwardly and adjoins the main portion from a certain height above the bead core; a space is surrounded by the carcass ply main portion, and each turnup portion and the bead core is filled with a small size bead apex rubber or a gas; and the bead portion is provided between the carcass ply and the bead core with a bead core cover for preventing the carcass cords from direct contacting with the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Ohara, Yukio Endo, Kiyoshi Ueyoko, Kazuki Numata, Ikuji Ikeda
  • Patent number: 6719030
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire has a single carcass ply reinforced with parallel metallic cords, each cord composed of at least one filament having a tensile strength of at least (−2000×D+4400 MPa) ×95%, where D is the filament diameter in millimeters. The turnup portion of the single carcass ply 12 in the bead portion of a pneumatic tire is interposed between the bead core 11 and a toe guard 18, and the radially outer edge of each turnup portion being in contact with the main portion of the carcass ply and extending to an end point 0.5 to 4.0 inches (12.7 to 101.6 mm) radially outward of the bead core. The toe guard 18 has a first and second end and each end is disposed directly adjacent to the carcass ply. The first end 18a of the toe guard is located on the axially inner side of the main portion of the carcass ply at a location about 0.4 to 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Amit Prakash, Donald Woodrow Gilliam, Gary Edwin Tubb
  • Patent number: 6701988
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire having an aspect ratio of no more than 60% comprises at least one carcass ply composed of a main body portion and a turn-up portion, a stiffener made of a soft rubber stock and a hard rubber stock, and a reinforcing member extending at an outside of the turn-up portion in a widthwise direction of the tire through a cushion rubber, wherein at an inflation state of the tire under a given air pressure, a height of an outer end of the turn-up portion in the radial direction is no more than 0.33 times a section height of the carcass ply, and a thickness ratio (d2/d1) is within a range of 1.2-1.8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yuuji Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6659148
    Abstract: The tire of the invention incorporates an active nylon flipper in each bead region. The flipper is active in the sense that it actively absorbs differential shearing strains that arise between each turnup end of the ply and each rigid metal bead during heavy-duty service. In conjunction with each of the two flippers, a chipper protects the portion of the ply lying closest to the wheel rim when the tire is mounted. A nylon patch overlaps the respective end of each chipper, the turnup end of the ply, and the radially outermost part of each flipper. The shearing modulus of the nylon material of each flippers and each patch is intermediate between the shearing moduli of the adjacent materials, which thus distributes and absorbs shearing stresses in ways that reduce the tendency of the turnup ends and the radial most part of the chippers to separate from the adjacent tire structures during heavy-duty operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Alié, Michèle Marie Joseph Emile Spriet
  • Patent number: 6648041
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire 100 for use on aircraft has a radial reinforced carcass 20 having at least one axially inner ply 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D of textile cords 21 wound around a pair of bead cores 33. The improved bead structure 30 has a flipper 50 having an axially inner leg LI and axially outer leg LE. The ends LI, LE of the flippers 50 are above the bead core height Bh and below the apex A of an elastomeric strip 40 satisfying the relation Bh<LE<0.7D and Bh<LI<0.7D. Additionally, the tire carcass 20 has at least one axially outer ply 2E, 2F of textile cords 21 extending from bead 30 to bead 30 along the turn-ups 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D of the axially inner plies 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D. The plies 21 are closely spaced along the natural ply path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6622765
    Abstract: A tire, designed to carry heavy loads, having a radial carcass reinforcement formed of at least one ply of inelastic reinforcing elements and anchored in each bead to a bead wire so as to form a turn-up whose end is a radial distance HRNC away from the base of the bead, each bead being reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, at least one first armature being formed of radial reinforcement elements and at least one second armature being formed of elements that make with the circumferential direction an angle &agr; such that 0°≦&agr;≦45°, the first reinforcement armature being formed of radial elements and being wrapped around the bead wire outside the carcass reinforcement while the second armature is not wrapped around the said bead wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Patrick Corsi
  • Patent number: 6609550
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a rubber bead apex extending radially outwards from a bead core; a carcass composed of an inside carcass ply and an outside carcass ply, the inside carcass ply turned up around the bead core in each bead portion from the tire inside to the tire outside to form a pair of turned up portions and a main portion therebetween, the outside carcass ply extending to a position between the bead apex and the turned up portion; a steel cord reinforcing layer comprising an axially inner portion and an axially outer portion which extend radially outwardly from the bead core underside into the sidewall portion; the sidewall portion provided with an axially inner reinforcing rubber layer disposed axially inside the inside carcass ply's main portion, and an axially outer reinforcing rubber layer disposed between the outside carcass ply and the steel cord reinforcing layer's axially outer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuya Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6595256
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a body having a plurality of main body cords. The tire includes an upper section above the maximum section width and a lower section below the maximum section width. The modulus of the body cords is configured to be larger in the lower section than in the upper section. This modulus ratio decreases the rolling resistance of the tire. The increased modulus in the lower section is achieved by providing a body cord insert wrapped around the bead core and bead filler. The ends of the body cord insert are disposed against each other so that the entire bead filler is surrounded. The body cord insert extends substantially over the entire lower section of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
    Inventors: Carolyn W. Bernstorf, Jean-Yea Chen, Jie Jin, Masahiro Takayama, Hidetoshi Yokota
  • Patent number: 6591883
    Abstract: A tire for heavy loads, having an inextensible radial carcass ply anchored to a bead wire to form an upturn, the end of which is located at a radial distance from the base of the bead. Each bead is reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, one armature formed of radial inextensible metallic reinforcement elements and a second armature formed of metallic elements forming an angle with the circumferential direction, the first armature being formed of at least one ply wound around the anchoring bead wire on the inside of the carcass reinforcement to form two strands, such that the axially inner strand, between the radially lower end of its radially upper edge parallel to the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement and its point of tangency with the anchoring bead wire, follows a rectilinear trace referred to as “shortest-path”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Publication number: 20030116249
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire, includes at least one carcass ply having a steel cord arranged substantially in a radial direction of the tire, folded turned up around a bead cord, a belt layer arranged on an outer side of a crown portion of the carcass ply to have an overlapping portion with the folded portion of the carcass, a first reinforcing rubber layer arranged between body portion of the carcass ply and the folded portion of the carcass ply, and a second reinforcing rubber layer arranged inside the body portion of the carcass ply, over a region corresponding to a tire shoulder portion to a bead portion, with its thickness gradually reduced from a central portion to opposing end portions, wherein overlapping width W2 from an upper end position RF of the second reinforcing rubber layer to an end BE of the belt layer is 7% to 33% of the width BW of the belt layer; and cross sectional widths G1W, G2W, and G3W representing minimum widths between an inner surface of the tire and respective side-wall outer surface positio
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Publication date: June 26, 2003
    Applicant: The Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Tobino, Takehiko Murata
  • Publication number: 20030102068
    Abstract: A tire wherein one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers extending over an end of a carcass turnup portion in a radial direction of the tire are arranged so as to extend from a position near to an outside of the bead core over the end of the turnup portion toward the outside of the tire and spread apart to the turnup portion. A tire wherein one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers are arranged so as to extend from a position exceeding over an end of a bead portion reinforcing layer made of a steel cord layer toward the outside of the tire extending over the end of the turnup portion in the radial direction of the tire and spread apart to the reinforcing layer. And also, a tire wherein a cord layer portion of one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers extending over the end of the turnup portion in the radial direction of the tire and outside the turnup portion has a first bent portion bending toward the inside of the tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono
  • Publication number: 20030041943
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire 100 for use on aircraft has a radial reinforced carcass 20 having at least one axially inner ply 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D of textile cords 21 wound around a pair of bead cores 33. The improved bead structure 30 has a flipper 50 having an axially inner leg LI and axially outer leg LE. The ends LI, LE of the flippers 50 are above the bead core height Bh and below the apex A of an elastomeric strip 40 satisfying the relation Bh<LE<0.7D and Bh<LI<0.7D. Additionally, the tire carcass 20 has at least one axially outer ply 2E, 2F of textile cords 21 extending from bead 30 to bead 30 along the turn-ups 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D of the axially inner plies 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D. The plies 21 are closely spaced along the natural ply path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6527025
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises: a carcass ply extending between bead portions and including a topping rubber layer, the topping rubber layer facing the inside of the tire and made of a butyl rubber compound containing at least 10 parts by weight of butyl rubber or butyl rubber derivative; and a belt disposed radially outside the carcass in the tread portion, the belt comprising at least one ply of monofilament cords laid at an angle of from 10 to 40 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire, and each of the monofilament cord consisting of a single filament. The belt further comprises one ply of multifilament cords or one ply of monofilament cords. The height of a bead apex, which is disposed between a carcass ply turnup portion and main portion in each bead portion, can be reduced into a range of from 10 to 20 mm, and in this case, the carcass ply turnup portion is extended radially outwardly beyond the radially outer end of the bead apex so as to adjoin the carcass ply main portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20030034108
    Abstract: A tire with a carcass reinforcement ply, anchored within each bead by winding around an annular element, the tensile strength of which is less than the tensile strength of a conventional tire bead wire of the same dimension, and an assembly of at least two textile bead reinforcement layers which are arranged in contact with the annular element, wherein the annular element is metallic, has a tensile strength of between 3 and 5 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement by the recommended inflation pressure, and the elongation at break of which is at least equal to 6%, all the reinforcement layers formed of elements of aromatic polyamide having a tensile strength of between 0.5 and 1 time the tensile strength of the annular element, and the total of the tensile strengths of the annular element and of the assembly of the reinforcement layers being between 6 and 8 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Forrest Patterson, Michel Ahouanto
  • Publication number: 20030019557
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire has a single carcass ply reinforced with parallel metallic cords, each cord composed of at least one filament having a tensile strength of at least (−2000×D+4400 MPa)×95%, where D is the filament diameter in millimeters. The turnup portion of the single carcass ply 12 in the bead portion of a pneumatic tire is interposed between the bead core 11 and a toe guard 18, and the radially outer edge of each turnup portion being in contact with the main portion of the carcass ply and extending to an end point 0.5 to 4.0 inches (12.7 to 101.6 mm) radially outward of the bead core as measured along the main portion of the carcass ply of the tire. A toe guard 18 associated with each bead core 11 has a first and second end and each end is disposed directly adjacent to the carcass ply. The first end 18a of the toe guard is located on the axially inner side of the main portion of the carcass ply at a location about 0.4 to 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Amit Prakash, Donald Woodrow Gilliam, Gary Edwin Tubb
  • Patent number: 6510883
    Abstract: The invention relates to pneumatic tires for a motor vehicle comprising a multi-layer carcass. Said multi-layer carcass extends between two bead rings, a set of bracing plies provided between the layers of the carcass and a tire tread, and rubber reinforcement layers arranged in the side wall areas which support the tire when it is deflated. The invention is characterized in that a first rubber reinforcement layer is arranged radially within a first carcass layer and a second rubber reinforcement layer is arranged between the first carcass layer and a second carcass layer. The two rubber reinforcement layers extend from the bead filler area to a position under the edge area of the bracing plies. The two rubber layers vary in thickness across the height of the side walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Dunlop GmbH
    Inventors: Karlheinz Baumann, Günter Dietrich
  • Patent number: 6505663
    Abstract: A tire having two beads and a radial carcass reinforcement, each bead having no anchoring bead wire and being reinforced by an armature including at least two plies turned up over themselves to form four reinforcement layers axially close to one another, the two axially innermost layers being composed of elements parallel to one another from one layer to the next, and the two layers axially at the center being composed of elements crossed from one layer to the next, and the reinforcement layers have their radially outer edges positioned within the bead at different heights such that any annular strip of the reinforcement armature of the bead, having at least two layers of reinforcement elements and located between two parallels to the rotation axis of the tire, is formed of at least two layers of reinforcement elements crossed from one layer to the next.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Michel Ahouanto, Luc Bestgen, Forrest Patterson
  • Publication number: 20020189739
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire to be mounted on a 15-degree-taper rim, comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions each with a bead core therein, and a carcass comprising a ply of steel cords, wherein in a meridian section of the tire under a state that the tire is not mounted on a rim but the bead portions are held such that the bead width is equal to the rim width of said 15-degree-taper rim, the bead base surface of each said bead portion, which is defined as extending between a bead heel and a bead toe, is substantially straight and inclined at an angle of from 22 to 26 degrees with respect to the tire axial direction, and a ratio La/Lb of the axial width La of the bead base surface to the maximum width Lb of the bead core is in a range of from 1.3 to 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Koya, Yoshiyuki Takada
  • Patent number: 6494242
    Abstract: The tire of the invention has an optimized path of the outermost carcass designed to maximize the extent of tensile stress in the sidewall and bead portions of the tire. The invention further provides separate reinforcement structures in the bead portion for anchoring the carcass or carcasses in the bead and for retaining the bead on the mounting rim during deflated operation, and said anchoring reinforcement also facilitates the maintenance of the desirable carcass profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique
    Inventor: Roger Cary Cottrell
  • Patent number: 6491078
    Abstract: A tire for heavy loads and having beads intended to be mounted on flat rim seats or rim seats which are inclined at 5°, including at least one radial carcass ply formed of inextensible reinforcement elements and anchored in each bead to a bead wire to form an upturn, the end of which is located at a radial distance HRNC from the base of the bead. Each bead is reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, at least one first armature formed of at least one ply of radial textile reinforcement elements which is located axially to the outside of a second armature formed of at least one ply of inextensible elements forming an angle &agr; with the circumferential direction such that 0°≦&agr;≦45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Establissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Patrick Corsi
  • Patent number: 6491079
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises at least one carcass ply of steel cords, in which a wrap part wound on a bead core along its outer peripheral face is disposed in a turnup portion of the carcass ply and at least one wire chafer wound around the bead core from a main body portion of the carcass ply toward the turnup portion thereof in a widthwise direction is embedded in the bead portion or the main body portion of the carcass ply is adequately regulated so as to enhance lateral stiffness of the bead portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Takahiro Kimura
  • Publication number: 20020179216
    Abstract: A tire for a vehicle wheel, comprising two sidewalls, a crown zone provided on its radially outer portion with a circumferential tread, and a bead arranged in the radially inner portion of each of the sidewalls. Each bead comprises a seat and an outer flange which are intended to come into contact with the rim, the seat having a generatrix, the axially inner end of which lies on a circle of diameter greater than the diameter of the circle on which the axially outer end is located. A carcass-type reinforcement structure extends substantially radially from each of the beads, along the sidewalls, towards the crown zone. Each bead includes a zone for anchoring the carcass-type reinforcement structure in the bead, a bearing zone for the bead against a suitable rim seat, and an intermediate zone, which is provided substantially between said anchoring zone and the bearing zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Pedro Costa Pereira, Bernard Guerinon
  • Patent number: 6478064
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire comprises: a carcass ply turned up around a bead core in each bead portion from the inside to outside of the tire so as to form a pair of turnup portions and a main portion therebetween; a bead apex rubber disposed between each of the turnup portions and the main portion, each. of the turnup portions extending radially outwardly beyond a radially outer end of the bead apex to adjoin the main portion; a chafer rubber disposed along at least an axially outer surface of each of the bead portions so as to define at least a flange-contacting part for contacting with a flange of a wheel rim; the height of the radially outer end of the bead apex being in the range of from 7 to 35% of the height of the carcass at the tire equator and being less than the height of the radially outer end of the chafer rubber; and the flange-contacting part being devoid of a concave profile. When the carcass ply is made of steel cords whose sectional area is in the range of from 0.10 to 0.25 sq.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Publication number: 20020157755
    Abstract: The invention improves tire flat spotting by providing a bead assembly that has bead filler elements disposed outside the body cords so that the turn up portion of the ply of body cords is disposed immediately back against the main portion of the ply of body cords above the bead core. This carcass structure increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall and decreases the flat spotting experience by the tire. In one embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing ply is wrapped around the bead filler elements to further increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall. In another embodiment, a bead filler element is disposed inside the body cords so that an air pocket is not formed in the carcass during the manufacturing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Inventors: Neel K. Mani, John L. Turner, Thomas R. Branca, Hidetoshi Yokota, Brian E. Moore, Stanley J. Olesky
  • Publication number: 20020153080
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire having an aspect ratio of no more than 60% comprises at least one carcass ply composed of a main body portion and a turn-up portion, a stiffener made of a soft rubber stock and a hard rubber stock, and a reinforcing member extending at an outside of the turn-up portion in a widthwise direction of the tire through a cushion rubber, wherein at an inflation state of the tire under a given air pressure, a height of an outer end of the turn-up portion in the radial direction is no more than 0.33 times a section height of the carcass ply, and a thickness ratio (d2/d1) is within a range of 1.2-1.8.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuuji Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6439283
    Abstract: A runflat pneumatic tire has a tread stiffening member radially inward of the tread 12. The tire has a deflected section height H30 under load at 30 psi inflation and a deflected section height H0 at 0 psi wherein the deflection D30 are equal to or less than D0−D30 and the net contact area at 0 psi has a perimeter dynamic contact shape of at least U shaped or rectangular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Anthony Curtis Paonessa, Mark Henry Seloover, Steven Craig Roweder, Walter Dale Allen, John Janes Beck, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6408914
    Abstract: A tire (10) has three carcass reinforcing structures (15, 16, 17). The second carcass reinforcing structure (16) is folded radially outwardly around each bead core 16 (20), so that the edges (36) of the second carcass reinforcing structure (16) are each located between an apex (31) and the neighboring bead core. The third carcass reinforcing structure (17) has its turndown portions (27) folded radially inwardly around the turnup portion of the second carcass reinforcing structure (16) and the bead core, so that the edges (37) of the plies of the third carcass reinforcing structure are located at the radially inner side of the bead cores (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: André Lamock, Carlo Bernard
  • Publication number: 20020074072
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire comprising a carcass, a belt layer, and a bead apex rubber. The carcass includes an inner carcass ply and an outer carcass ply that passes outside of the inner carcass. The bead portions are provided with a U-shaped first bead reinforcing layer and a second bead reinforcing layer. And the tire is suitable for use as a high performance tire being capable of improving initial response characteristics at the time of steering and of achieving cuts in running times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Kazuya Suzuki, Kyoko Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6401777
    Abstract: A chipper (40, 43, 54) for use in a pneumatic radial ply runflat tire (49) comprises cord reinforcements (42, 42′) making an angle, &agr;′ of between 30° and 50° relative to the circumferential direction. The radially outermost edge (46, 50) of the chipper is located between 10 and 15 millimeters above the wheel rim flange (56) of the wheel-mounted tire and between 5% and 20% of the section height SH of the tire. The chipper is disposed axially inward of the ply turnup end (58). The chipper (40) may comprise a single layer of cords (42), or the chipper (43) may comprise two layers (47, 47′) with the -cords (42, 42′) in the two layers being crossed to form mirror images across a radial reflection axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Agnes Nathalie Iwana Verbeke-Ensch, Charles Pierre Jean-Marie Nosbusch, Roland Close, Edouard Schenten
  • Publication number: 20020062897
    Abstract: The invention improves tire flat spotting by providing a bead assembly that has bead filler elements disposed outside the body cords so that the turn up portion of the ply of body cords is disposed immediately back against the main portion of the ply of body cords above the bead core. This carcass structure increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall and decreases the flat spotting experience by the tire. In one embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing ply is wrapped around the bead filler elements to further increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall. In another embodiment, a bead filler element is disposed inside the body cords so that an air pocket is not formed in the carcass during the manufacturing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Inventors: Neel K. Mani, John L. Turner, Thomas R. Branca, Hidetoshi Yokota, Brian E. Moore, Stanley J. Olesky
  • Publication number: 20020056499
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises: a bead apex made of rubber extending radially outwards from a bead core; a carcass composed of an inside carcass ply and an outside carcass ply, the inside carcass ply turned up around the bead core in each bead portion from the inside to the outside of the tire to form a pair of turned up portions and a main portion therebetween, the outside carcass ply extending to a position between the bead apex and the turned up portion; a steel cord reinforcing layer comprising an axially inner portion and an axially outer portion which extend radially outwardly from the underside of the bead core into the sidewall portion; the sidewall portion provided with an axially inner reinforcing rubber layer disposed axially inside the inside carcass ply's main portion, and an axially outer reinforcing rubber layer disposed between the outside carcass ply and the steel cord reinforcing layer's axially outer portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventor: Kazuya Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6386259
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire comprises a carcass ply being turned up around bead cores form the axially inside to outside of the tire, a bead apex disposed between the carcass main portion and each turnup portion, the turnup portion extending radially outwardly beyond the radially outer end of the bead apex so that the turnup portion has a parallel part which is placed adjacent to and substantially in parallel with the main portion, and a chafer disposed in each bead portion and extending radially outwardly beyond the radially outer end of the bead apex along the axially outside of the turnup portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Publication number: 20020050315
    Abstract: A tire having a preferential fitting direction to a passenger car, the tire having a carcass reinforcement that extends from one tire bead to the other and, radially outside, a crown reinforcement of width Ls, formed by at least two crown plies, and in addition a meridian reinforcing ply arranged radially between the carcass reinforcement and the crown reinforcement, the meridian reinforcing ply having a width Lr between 15% and 45% Ls of the crown reinforcement, one edge of the reinforcing ply being located a distance D1 from the equatorial plane of the tire between 35% and 50% of Ls, while the other edge is located between the first edge and the equatorial plane of the tire. A method of mounting a group of four such tires on a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Publication date: May 2, 2002
    Inventor: Pascal Pirotte
  • Publication number: 20020046795
    Abstract: A tire having at least one reinforcement ply formed of reinforcement elements embedded in vulcanized rubber, characterized in that the reinforcement elements for said ply are individually coated in a rubber mix (B, B1), referred to as “coating mix”, having a given composition and physical properties, the reinforcement elements arranged parallel to each other being covered on one face by a first rubber layer (A, A1), referred to as “first calendering layer”, of constant composition and properties, whereas the elements are covered on the opposite face by a second rubber calendering layer (C, D), of composition and properties which are variable according to the meridian position on the ply within the tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Publication date: April 25, 2002
    Inventor: Jean Billieres
  • Patent number: 6371185
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a carcass, a belt, and a bead filler rubber, wherein the bead filler rubber in an assembly of the tire and an approved rim has a height lower than the height of a rim flange, and a turnup portion of the carcass has a height not less than 0.5 times a section height of the carcass from a rim size line and extends over a maximum width position of the carcass and in parallel to a main body of the carcass outward from a taper end of the bead filler rubber, and a pair of sidewall reinforcing layers are arranged along an outside of the turnup portion to extend from near to the taper end of the bead filler rubber up to at least near to an end of the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Kazunori Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20020026975
    Abstract: A tire for vehicle wheels includes a carcass, a tread strip, and a belt structure. The carcass has a central crown portion and two axially opposite sidewalls terminating in a pair of beads. Each bead includes at least one circumferentially unextendable annular reinforcing core having a series of spirals of metal wire radially superimposed and axially arranged alongside each other. The carcass has a reinforcing structure including at least one ply of rubberized fabric reinforced with metal cords lying in radial planes containing an axis of rotation of the tire. The reinforcing structure includes ends secured to the annular reinforcing cores and a neutral profile, lying in a radial cross-sectional plane, axially extending from bead to bead. The neutral profile intersects a cross section of a zone enclosing the annular reinforcing cores and has a continuous curvature devoid of inflection points along an extension between the beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventor: Renato Caretta
  • Patent number: 6332486
    Abstract: A radial tire when mounted on a rim and filled to normal inner pressure has a ratio of the upper cross-sectional height USH to the cross-sectional height SH between 0.50 and 0.59, a ratio of the lower cross-sectional height LSH to SH between 0.40 and 0.50, a rim width of more than 1.40 times the measuring rim width MRW but less than 1.45 MRW, an aspect ratio of less than 0.65, a beadfiller height of greater than 0.224 SH, and an angle between the tangent to the carcass line at a bead upper point B and a line extending in parallel with the rotation axis of the tire is less than 45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Hankook Tire Manufacturing CO LTD
    Inventors: Myeong Hun Ahn, Keun Woo Kim, Kyun Ok Kim, Yong Hee Kim, Hwi Joong Kim
  • Publication number: 20010017180
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire of the present invention, which has a bead core buried in a bead portion, in which a ratio dw/D of an inner diameter dw of the bead core to a heel diameter D of a rim, which is specified in a public standard, and a ratio dt/D of a heel diameter dt of the bead portion to the heel diameter D of the rim satisfy the following inequalities:
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Publication date: August 30, 2001
    Applicant: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinichi Mori, Hikomitsu Noji
  • Patent number: 6279635
    Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic radial tire has a light weight of a bead portion and an excellent bead portion durability and is provided with a bead portion reinforcing layer covering an outer surface of a carcass ply around a bead core, in which the bead portion reinforcing layer is comprised of a single rubberized steel cord layer or of two or three independent rubberized steel cord layer segments. In this case, the steel cords arranged in the bead portion reinforcing layer have an inclination angle of a given range with respect to a circumferential line of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono
  • Patent number: 6273162
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a carcass ply extending between bead portions and is turned up around a bead core in each bead portion to form two turnup portions and a main portion therebetween; each of the turnup portions extends radially outwardly and adjoins the main portion from a certain height above the bead core; a space is surrounded by the carcass ply main portion, and each turnup portion and the bead core is filled with a small size bead apex rubber or a gas; and the bead portion is provided between the carcass ply and the bead core with a bead core cover for preventing the carcass cords from direct contacting with the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Ohara, Yukio Endo, Kiyoshi Ueyoko, Kazuki Numata, Ikuji Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20010009171
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises at least one carcass ply of steel cords, in which a wrap part wound on a bead core along its outer peripheral face is disposed in a turnup portion of the carcass ply and at least one wire chafer wound around the bead core from a main body portion of the carcass ply toward the turnup portion thereof in a widthwise direction is embedded in the bead portion or the main body portion of the carcass ply is adequately regulated so as to enhance lateral stiffness of the bead portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Publication date: July 26, 2001
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Takahiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 6253816
    Abstract: A belt reinforcing layer is disposed outwardly in the radial direction of a tire so as to reinforce the whole portion or the end portions of a tread portion. The belt reinforcing layer is formed by spirally winding a rubber-coated and narrow strip made of a fiber cord/cords around a tire. A pair of bead fillers are disposed directly above bead cores of a pair of bead portions. The cords of the belt reinforcing layer are made of organic fiber cords, and have a 2.7% or less elongation under load of 1.4g/d at the temperature of 50±5° C., and have a 1.5 to 6.0% elongation under load of 0.7g/d at the temperature of 170±5° C. The height L of each of the bead fillers corresponds to 20 to 60% of the cross sectional height T of a tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Keita Ide
  • Patent number: 6223797
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pneumatic tire which comprises a carcass layer provided between a pair of left and right bead sections, left and right side wall sections interpolated for connecting the pair of left and right bead sections with a tread section to be continuous, and at least two belt layers provided in an outer peripheral side of the carcass layer in the tread section, each of the belt layers being composed of a plurality of reinforcing cords coated with coating rubber. Storage elastic modulus E′ of the coating rubber is set in a range of 15.0 to 40.0 MPa, and its loss tangent tan &dgr; is set in a range of 0.1 to 0.25. Interlayer rubber is provided between end parts of the belt layers, the interlayer rubber being specifically set in each of both end parts thereof in a tire width direction, and elongation to break Eb of the interlayer rubber is set in a range of 400 to 700%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co.
    Inventors: Zenichiro Shida, Masataka Koishi
  • Patent number: 6135181
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire (10) has a pair of sidewall portions (20), a pair of bead regions (22) and a carcass (30) reinforced with at least two sidewall fillers or inserts (42), (46) for each sidewall portion and at least one cord reinforced ply (38) and two bead cores (26) one in each bead region and a reinforcing belt structure (36). This tire is preferably a runflat radial ply tire. The at least one cord reinforced ply (38) has a pair of turnup ends (32) wrapped around the pair of bead cores (26). The turnup ends (32) each extend radially outwardly to a terminal end (33) at a radial height of at least 40% of the tire section height (SH). The first insert for each sidewall portion lies radially inward and adjacent the at least one ply (38). The second insert (46) for each sidewall portion is a bead filler insert radially above the bead core (26) and between the at least one ply (38) and its turnup end (32).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2000
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Anthony Curtis Paonessa, Mark Henry Seloover, John Janes Beck, Jr., Thomas Reed Oare, Joseph Ghana Dancy
  • Patent number: 6129128
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire comprises a radial carcass ply turned up around bead cores from the axially inside to outside of the tire, and a steel cord bead reinforcing ply disposed along the axially outer surface of the carcass ply turnup portion. The height of the carcass ply turnup portions is 1.5 to 3.5 times the rim flange height. The bead reinforcing ply extends so that the radially inner end is disposed on the radially inside of a straight line drawn between the axially inner extreme end and the axially outer extreme end of a bead core, and the radially outer end is spaced apart from the radially outer end of the turnup portion by a radial distance of from 5 to 20 mm. The radially outer ends of the turnup portions and the radially outer ends of the bead reinforcing plies are each covered with a cap made of hard rubber having a JIS-A hardness of 75 to 85 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2000
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuhiro Fukumoto
  • Patent number: 6119748
    Abstract: In a pneumatic tire for run-flat running comprising a stiffener rubber, viewing a cross-section of the tire-rim assembly inflated under an air pressure corresponding to 15% of a maximum air pressure of the tire, a top of the stiffener rubber is located inward from a specified line segment PA in a radial direction of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuomi Kobayashi, Tomohisa Nishikawa, Kenji Matsuo
  • Patent number: 6109320
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire having improved bead durability accommodated to a standard 15 degree taper center drop rim comprises a pair of bead cores disposed one in each bead portion, a steel cord radial carcass ply turned up around the bead cores from the axially inside to the outside, a hard rubber bead apex disposed between the carcass ply main portion and each turnup portion, a bead reinforcing layer of reinforcing cords disposed axially outside each carcass ply turnup portion, and a rubber strip disposed between each turnup portion and the bead reinforcing layer, the rubber strip being harder than the bead apex, and the difference B-D of the inside diameter B of the bead cores from the rim diameter D of the rim is in the range of from -4 to 1 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Miyazaki, Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6089294
    Abstract: A rubber element for tire comprising a bead core which is generally an annular shape, and an apex which is generally an annular shape and attached to the bead core. The apex comprises a first portion whose sectional configuration is generally a rectangle, and a second portion whose sectional configuration is generally a semiellipse and integrally molded on an outer face of the first portion. An inner face of the first portion of the apex is attached to an outer face of the bead core, whereby the apex and the bead core are united.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Suzuki, Nagayoshi Jumonji