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US 11,738,603 B2Granted
Tire
AssigneeSumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
InventorsKeiji Higuchi, Teppei Nakamichi, Tomohisa Kuriyama, Kengo Fukuda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a tire including a tread portion. The tread portion can include three circumferential grooves and four land portions. The circumferential grooves can include two shoulder circumferential grooves and one crown circumferential groove. The land portions can include two shoulder land portions and two middle land portions. The two middle land portions can each include a circumferential sipe, a plurality of first middle lateral grooves, and a plurality of second middle lateral grooves. The two shoulder land portions can each include a plurality of shoulder lateral grooves extending from a tread end and terminating in the shoulder land portion.
Claims12
A tire comprising:
- a tread portion, wherein the tread portion comprises:
- three circumferential grooves extending between two tread ends continuously in a tire circumferential direction, and
- four land portions demarcated by the circumferential grooves,
- wherein the circumferential grooves include two shoulder circumferential grooves and one crown circumferential groove between the two shoulder circumferential grooves,
- wherein the land portions comprise two shoulder land portions that respectively include the tread ends, and two middle land portions demarcated between the shoulder circumferential grooves and the crown circumferential groove,
- wherein the tread portion has a designated mounting direction to a vehicle, wherein the two tread ends comprise an outer tread end to be located on an outer side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle, and an inner tread end to be located on an inner side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle,
- wherein each of the two middle land portions comprises:
- a circumferential sipe extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction,
- a plurality of first middle sipes extending from the crown circumferential groove and terminating in a corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe, and
- a plurality of second middle sipes extending from a corresponding one of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe,
- wherein each of the two shoulder land portions comprises a plurality of shoulder lateral grooves extending from a corresponding one of the tread ends and terminating in a corresponding one of the shoulder land portions,
- wherein an inner middle land portion of the two middle land portions includes a plurality of inner middle sipes extending from an inner shoulder circumferential groove of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the inner middle land portion,
- wherein the inner middle sipes alternate with the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion in the tire circumferential direction,
- wherein the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion are chamfered on opposite sides in the tire circumferential direction, and
- wherein the inner middle sipes are free of any chamfers.
12 more elements
A tread portion of a tire comprising:
- three circumferential grooves extending between two tread ends continuously in a tire circumferential direction, and
- four land portions demarcated by the circumferential grooves,
- wherein the circumferential grooves include two shoulder circumferential grooves and one crown circumferential groove between the two shoulder circumferential grooves,
- wherein the land portions comprise two shoulder land portions that respectively include the tread ends, and two middle land portions demarcated between the shoulder circumferential grooves and the crown circumferential groove,
- wherein the tread portion has a designated mounting direction to a vehicle, wherein the two tread ends comprise an outer tread end to be located on an outer side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle, and an inner tread end to be located on an inner side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle,
- wherein each of the two middle land portions comprises:
- a circumferential sipe extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction,
- a plurality of first middle sipes extending from the crown circumferential groove and terminating in a corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe, and
- a plurality of second middle sipes extending from a corresponding one of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe,
- wherein each of the two shoulder land portions comprises a plurality of shoulder lateral grooves extending from a corresponding one of the tread ends and terminating in a corresponding one of the shoulder land portions,
- wherein an inner middle land portion of the two middle land portions includes a plurality of inner middle sipes extending from an inner shoulder circumferential groove of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the inner middle land portion,
- wherein the inner middle sipes alternate with the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion in the tire circumferential direction,
- wherein the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion have chamfered portions on opposite sides in the tire circumferential direction, each of the chamfered portions extending an entire length of the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion,
- wherein the inner middle sipes are free of any chamfers,
- wherein, for each of the middle land portions, the first middle sipes and the second middle sipes are in pairs across the circumferential sipe, and
- wherein the inner middle sipes are without any opposing first middle sipe across the circumferential sipe.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.