# US 10,500,904 B2 · Tire

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- Number: US 10,500,904 B2
- Document ID: US10500904B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/898,546
- Filed: 2014-07-09
- Published: 2016-05-19
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-07-12
- Assignees: Bridgestone Corporation
- Applicants: Bridgestone Corporation
- Inventors: Nobuyuki Yamamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500904B2

## CPC

- B60C 11/1263: {different within the same sipe}
- B60C 11/0306: {Patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs}
- B60C 11/0327: {characterised by special properties of the tread pattern}
- B60C 11/125: {arranged at the groove bottom}
- B60C 2011/0334: {Stiffness}
- B60C 2011/0344: {provided at the equatorial plane}
- B60C 2011/0346: {with zigzag shape}
- B60C 2011/0353: {characterised by width}
- B60C 2011/0358: {Lateral grooves, i.e. having an angle of 45 to 90 degees to the equatorial plane}
- B60C 2011/0362: {Shallow grooves, i.e. having a depth of less than 50% of other grooves}
- B60C 2011/0365: {characterised by width}
- B60C 2011/0367: {characterised by depth}
- B60C 2011/1209: {straight at the tread surface}
- B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES

## Abstract

A tire includes a plurality of land portions defined by a plurality of circumferential grooves, and each of the plurality of land portions has a plurality of lateral grooves crossing the land portion. Each of the plurality of lateral grooves is made up of a center region extending at an angle of inclination relative to a tread width direction and side regions extending at a smaller angle of inclination relative to the tread width direction than the center region, the side regions increasing in groove width toward the respective circumferential grooves. Each of the plurality of lateral grooves has a sipe having, only in the center region, a shallow portion with a smaller depth, the shallow portion being located at least near a boundary part between the center region and each of the side regions with a starting point of the shallow portion being apart from the boundary part.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tire in which a plurality of land portions are defined in a tread surface by a plurality of circumferential grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction, and each of the plurality of land portions has a plurality of lateral grooves crossing the land portion,
wherein the plurality of lateral grooves are arranged so that, when the plurality of lateral grooves are projected onto a tire equatorial plane, lateral grooves adjacent in the tire circumferential direction do not overlap each other,
each of the plurality of lateral grooves is made up of a center region linearly extending at an angle of inclination relative to a tread width direction and side regions linearly extending from both ends of the center region toward respective circumferential grooves at a smaller angle of inclination relative to the tread width direction than the center region, the side regions increasing in groove width toward the respective circumferential grooves, and
each of the plurality of lateral grooves has a side leading inward in a tire radial direction from a groove bottom of the lateral groove, and the side has, only in the center region, a shallow portion with a smaller depth, the shallow portion being located at least near a boundary part, which has a bend shape with an angle, between the center region and each of the side regions with a starting point of the shallow portion being apart from the boundary part.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tire according to claim 1,
wherein a depth of the sipe in the side regions is not less than a maximum depth of the sipe in the center region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The tire according to claim 2,
wherein a clearance distance between the boundary part and the starting point of the shallow portion is 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less along an extension direction of the lateral groove at a position of the shallow portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The tire according to claim 3,
wherein three or more circumferential grooves are formed in the tread surface, and a pair of circumferential grooves outermost in the tread width direction are wider than a circumferential groove other than the pair of circumferential grooves.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The tire according to claim 2,
wherein three or more circumferential grooves are formed in the tread surface, and a pair of circumferential grooves outermost in the tread width direction are wider than a circumferential groove other than the pair of circumferential grooves.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The tire according to claim 1,
wherein a clearance distance between the boundary part and the starting point of the shallow portion is 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less along an extension direction of the lateral groove at a position of the shallow portion.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The tire according to claim 6,
wherein three or more circumferential grooves are formed in the tread surface, and a pair of circumferential grooves outermost in the tread width direction are wider than a circumferential groove other than the pair of circumferential grooves.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The tire according to claim 1,
wherein three or more circumferential grooves are formed in the tread surface, and a pair of circumferential grooves outermost in the tread width direction are wider than a circumferential groove other than the pair of circumferential grooves.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The tire according to claim 8,
wherein a lateral groove of a land portion adjacent to one side of the other circumferential groove and a lateral groove of a land portion adjacent to the other side of the other circumferential groove are open to the other circumferential groove at the same position in the tire circumferential direction.