Electrical conductive gum strip
AssigneeBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorsTimothy F. Robinson, Robert W. Asper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic tire is described as having one or more electrical conductive strips for discharging electrical build up in the tire. The electrical conductive strips provide a static electricity conductive path from the tire rim to a ground-contacting surface. The strips are arranged around the outer surface of the tire from a first bead portion to a second bead portion. The strips can lay over the outer surface of the sidewalls and the tire tread. As positioned over the tire tread, a portion of the electrical conductive strip remains in contact with the ground as the tread wears during use to provide continued dissipation of static electricity away from the tire.
Claims13
A pneumatic tire comprising:
- a circumferential tread portion comprising an outer tread running surface comprising tread grooves;
- a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the first and second sidewalls arranged axially adjacent to the tread portion, the first and second sidewalls comprising an outer surface facing away from a carcass portion;
- a first bead portion and a second bead portion, the first and second bead portions being connected with the tread portion by the first and second sidewalls and the first and second bead portions comprising a rim contact portion;
- a rubber electrical conductive strip that continuously extends around an outer surface of the pneumatic tire from the first bead portion to the second bead portion, the rubber electrical conductive strip being in contact with the outer surface of the first and second sidewalls, the rim contact portion of the first and second bead portions and the outer tread running surface of the tread portion, the rubber electrical conductive strip comprising a width in the range of 0.25 to 4.5 inches and a thickness of 0.1 to 0.25 inch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.