Tread Pattern Having No Blocks And Having Circumferential Ribs Defined By Zig-zag Circumferential Grooves Patents (Class 152/900)
  • Patent number: 11338620
    Abstract: A tire having a tread portion provided with a circumferential groove. Of the opposite groove side walls of the circumferential groove, at least one groove side wall to be positioned on the inside of a vehicle is provided with a lower side wall portion extending from a groove bottom, and a protruding portion extending from the lower side wall portion to have a radially outer edge. The protruding portion protrudes toward the groove widthwise center from a reference line X defined by a radially outwardly extended line from the lower side wall portion. The protruding portion comprises a sloped portion extending obliquely from the radially outer edge to the tread surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 9259973
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a tread pattern designed to provide improved heat dissipation properties, wear resistance, and uneven wear resistance. The tire has arranged in a tread (2) two circumferential fine grooves (10) disposed on opposite sides of the equatorial surface (CL) of the tire and extending in the circumferential direction of the tire, and the circumferential fine grooves (10) define a center land section (11). In the center land section (11) are formed oblique fine grooves (12) each having a first small groove (13) extending in the tire's circumferential direction, a second small groove (14) extending obliquely relative to the circumferential direction from one end of the first small groove (13) toward one circumferential fine groove, and a third small groove (15) extending obliquely relative to the circumferential direction from the other end of the first small groove (13) toward the other circumferential fine groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Ono, Masaharu Fukushima
  • Patent number: 9016338
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire including at least four circumferential main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction and a plurality of rib-like land portions partitioned by the circumferential main grooves in the tread portion. Additionally, an outer side second land portion includes a zigzag narrow groove having a zigzag shape, extending in the tire circumferential direction, and dividing the outer side second land portion in the tire width direction; and a plurality of first sipes disposed at a predetermined pitch in the tire circumferential direction, extending from an edge portion on the outer side in the tire width direction of the outer side second land portion toward the inner side in the tire width direction, and terminating prior to the zigzag narrow groove, leaving a gap for ventilation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 8978722
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprising a tread portion, side wall portions, and bead portions. The tread portion of said pneumatic tire includes at least one groove unit including a main groove extending in a tire circumferential direction and an auxiliary groove extending in the tire circumferential direction that has a smaller width than that of the main groove. The main groove and/or the auxiliary groove meanders in a wave or zigzag manner, and the main groove and the auxiliary groove intersect so as to intertwine with each other. Additionally, a rib portion extending in the tire circumferential direction is disposed adjacent along the groove unit including the main groove and the auxiliary groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8820373
    Abstract: Tire having a tread pattern with superior performance characteristics. The tread pattern includes ribs and circumferential grooves which are at least one of tapered and/or generally V-shaped. The walls of each circumferential groove have a wavy and/or sinusoidal contour extending in a generally circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
    Inventor: Daniel S. Mathews
  • Patent number: 8800619
    Abstract: The present invention provides a tire in which generation of partial wear and groove cracks are suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Suguru Yamaguchi, Michiharu Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8770241
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a plurality of circumferential grooves and a first land portion. The circumferential grooves extend continuously in a tire circumferential direction. The first land portion extends in the tire circumferential direction between a pattern end and one of the circumferential grooves in a shoulder region located outside the circumferential grooves in a tire width direction. The first land portion has first lug grooves extending from the pattern end in the tire width direction and closed without communicating with the circumferential grooves are arranged in the tire circumferential direction. At least one circumferential groove is wave-shaped with a constant groove width in the tire width direction at a tread surface and formed in a wave shape in the circumferential direction at the tread surface and groove bottom. The wave-shaped circumferential groove has a shorter cycle length of waves at the groove bottom than at the tread surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Ebiko, Kenichiro Endo, Takumi Morito, Hiroshi Tokizaki, Hiroyuki Kojima, Kensuke Saitou
  • Patent number: 8555939
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire 1 having excellent on-snow performances improved with maintaining steering stability and uneven wear resistance and including tread portion 2 having a pair of crown circumferential grooves 3 which extend continuously in the tire circumferential direction on both sides of tire equator C and have groove edges, one edge 3m extending in such a zigzag form that italic L-shaped groove edge segments 3s are continuously connected to each other in the circumferential direction, and the other edge 3n extending in such a wavy form that circular arc groove edge segments 3o each having a circular arc shape convex toward a groove center are continuously connected to each other in the circumferential direction, wherein each of the italic L-shaped groove edge segments 3s comprises long side part 3c inclined at an angle of 1 to 20° with respect to the circumferential direction, and short side part 3t having a circumferential length smaller than that of the long side part 3c and inclined in the opposite direct
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Hada
  • Patent number: 8408260
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire with an operation life elongated by a countermeasure for stone trapping. Projections 28 for preventing stone trapping are disposed on a groove bottom only of a flexion portion 24 of a center main groove 20 disposed on a tread portion 18 where the main groove bends in a zigzag manner, and an angle of a groove wall of a linear portion 26 connecting the adjacent bending portions with respect to a tread normal line direction is larger than an angle of a groove wall of the flexion portion 24 with respect to the tread normal line direction. This can suppress stone trapping at the same level as the conventional tire without providing a projection for preventing stone trapping on the linear portion 26.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Kawagoe
  • Patent number: 8281830
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a tread pattern which comprises at least three circumferential grooves with a groove width of 6 to 18 mm and a groove depth of 6.0 to 16.0 mm extending in a tire circumferential direction, wherein, on groove walls on both sides forming the at least three circumferential grooves, first inclined walls inclined by an inclination angle of 5 to 20 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and second inclined walls inclined by an inclination angle of 0 to 45 degrees with respect to a tire width direction are provided so as to be successively connected in the tire circumferential direction so that positions of groove ends in the tire width direction vary in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Ebiko
  • Patent number: 8100159
    Abstract: In the pneumatic tire in which not less than three main grooves 1 extending in the tire circumferential direction R are formed and ribs 2 are formed by the main grooves 1, upper edges 11 of the main groove 1 when the tire is new extend in a linear manner in the tire circumferential direction R, the bottom 12 of the main groove 1 extends in a zigzag manner in the tire circumferential direction R, the sidewalls 13 of the main groove 1 is provided with concave portions and convex portions, and in the concave portion of at least one of the sidewalls 13 of the main groove 1, the protrusions 3 that is joined to the bottom 12 of the main groove 1 and to the sidewall 13. Further, the pneumatic tire may be provided with sipes or notches that extend from the concave portion to the inner side of the rib 2 in the tire width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Fujioka
  • Patent number: 7597127
    Abstract: Tire having a tread pattern with superior performance characteristics. The tread pattern includes ribs and circumferential grooves which are at least one of tapered and/or generally V-shaped. The walls of each circumferential groove have a wavy and/or sinusoidal contour extending in a generally circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Continental AG
    Inventor: Daniel Stephen Mathews
  • 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: 7114540
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes main grooves 1 extending substantially in a circumferential direction R of the tire, transverse grooves 2 connecting adjacent main grooves, and blocks 3 formed by adjacent main grooves and adjacent transverse grooves. Each block 3 has an acute corner portion 3a and an obtuse corner portion 3b and also has a groove side extending along the main groove 1 between the acute corner portion 3a and the obtuse corner portion 3b. An inclination angle a1 of the groove side increases from the obtuse corner portion 3b toward the acute corner portion 3a. An extending direction 1a of the main groove 1 at a tread surface level is inclined toward one side of the main groove 1 with respect to the circumferential direction R of the tire, while an extending direction of the main groove 1 at a groove bottom level is inclined toward the other side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tetsuji Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 7028733
    Abstract: A tire tread for a pneumatic tire has at least one circumferentially extending rib. The rib has a high siping density to provide flexibility to the rib. To provide support to the rib, circumferentially extending along, and attached to, the side of each rib is supporting chamfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Billy Joe Ratliff, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6595254
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pneumatic tire effectively controlling uneven wear occurring in the vicinity of a main groove even if a groove width of the main groove is widened due to change in tread radius during inflation. In the pneumatic tire, with regard to a zigzag-shaped main groove having the groove width widened during inflation among a plurality of main grooves provided on a tread surface, an inclination angle of a groove wall near the center with respect to the tread surface is made relatively large in a bent portion near the shoulder, an inclination angle of a groove wall near the shoulder with respect to the tread surface is made relatively large in a bent portion near the center, and regions where the inclination angles of the opposed groove walls are different from each other are uncontinuously arranged in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Iizuka, Hirokatsu Maruyama
  • Patent number: 6564841
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pneumatic tire effectively controlling uneven wear occurring in the vicinity of a main groove even if a groove width of the main groove is narrowed due to change in tread radius during inflation. In the pneumatic tire, with regard to a zigzag-shaped main groove having the groove width narrowed during inflation among a plurality of main grooves provided on the tread surface, an inclination angle of a groove wall near the shoulder with respect to the tread surface is made relatively large in a bent portion near the shoulder, an inclination angle of a groove wall near the center with respect to the tread surface is made relatively large in a bent portion near the center, and regions where the inclination angles of the opposed groove walls are different from each other are uncontinuously arranged in the tire circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD
    Inventors: Yukio Tozawa, Hiroshi Iizuka
  • Patent number: 6412531
    Abstract: A tread for a tire includes at circumferentially extending grooves having side walls contoured with upper and lower waveforms that are relatively staggered, or out of phase. The side walls provide alternating protrusions and recesses relative to a perpendicular reference plane passing through upper edges of the groove. A cavity is provided beneath upper groove edges for the entire circumference of the tread, which imparts flexibility and helps avoid the initiation of rail wear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Ibrahim Mustafa Janajreh
  • Patent number: 6332485
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion having a plurality of block-shaped or rib-shaped lands defined by a plurality of tread grooves, wherein each edge portion of the same block-shaped or rib-shaped land located at a boundary between a ground contact region and a side wall of the block-shaped or rib-shaped land is subjected to chamfering convexly outward in a radial direction of the tire at a curvature varied in accordance with a distance from a given position of the block-shaped or rib-shaped land.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 5896905
    Abstract: In order to improve the wear of the trailing edges of the relief elements of a tread (1) for "heavy vehicle" tires, which elements are defined in the axial direction by circumferential grooves and in the circumferential direction by incisions (30) of a width other than zero and at most equal to 3 mm, said incisions (30) are inclined with respect to the normal (P) to the surface of the tread by an angle .alpha. of between 5.degree. and 25.degree. so that the resultant force (F.sub.F, F.sub.M) exerted by the ground on the tread tends to straighten the incisions (30) towards a zero inclination. The inclination of the incisions (30) is particularly advantageous in the case of a tread (1) provided with "wide" circumferential grooves having a step (4). Application for steering, load-bearing or driving tires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Establissements
    Inventor: Patrick Lurois