# US 11,897,288 B2 · Pneumatic tire > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,288 B2 - Document ID: US11897288B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/603,814 - Filed: 2018-05-22 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-08 - Assignees: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. - Applicants: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD. - Inventors: Isamu Kishizoe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897288B2 ## CPC - B60C 11/11: in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of isolated elements, e.g. blocks (B60C11/12, B60C11/13 take precedence) - B60C 11/0327: {characterised by special properties of the tread pattern} - B60C 11/1236: {with special arrangements in the tread pattern} - B60C 11/1259: {Depth of the sipe} - B60C 11/1376: {Three dimensional block surfaces departing from the enveloping tread contour} - B60C 2011/036: {Narrow grooves, i.e. having a width of less than 3 mm} - B60C 2011/0362: {Shallow grooves, i.e. having a depth of less than 50% of other grooves} - B60C 2011/1231: {being shallow, i.e. sipe depth of less than 3 mm} - B60C 2011/129: {Sipe density, i.e. the distance between the sipes within the pattern} - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract In a pneumatic tire, a block includes recess/protrusions on a road contact surface. Additionally, a recess/protrusion height of the recess/protrusions is from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. A width of the recess/protrusions is from 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm. A recess/protrusion region is where an arrangement interval between adjacent recess/protrusions is not greater than 1.2 mm. A smooth region other than the recess/protrusion region has an arithmetic mean roughness of the road contact surface of the block not greater than 50 μm. A lateral length of the road contact surface of the block in a tire lateral direction is defined. In this case, the block includes the recess/protrusion region and the smooth region in an optional cross-section in a lateral range of not less than 40% of a lateral length of the road contact surface of the block. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pneumatic tire comprising a plurality of blocks on a tread surface; the blocks each comprising a plurality of recess/protrusion portions on a road contact surface; a recess/protrusion height Hc of each of the recess/protrusion portions being in a range 0.1 mm≤Hc≤1.0 mm; a width Wc of each of the recess/protrusion portions being in a range 0.1 mm≤Wc≤0.8 mm; a recess/protrusion region being defined as a region where an arrangement interval Dc between the recess/protrusion portions adjacent to each other is in a range Dc≤1.2 mm; a smooth region being defined as a region other than the recess/protrusion region and in which an arithmetic average roughness Ra of the road contact surface of the blocks is in a range Ra≤50 μm; a cross-section X perpendicular to a tire lateral direction being defined; a lateral length Wb of the road contact surface of each of the blocks in the tire lateral direction being defined; and the blocks each comprising the recess/protrusion region and the smooth region in an optional cross-section X within a lateral range of not less than 40% of the lateral length Wb of the road contact surface of the blocks; wherein a width W1 of the recess/protrusion region and a width W2 of the smooth region adjacent to the recess/protrusion region have a relationship 0.50≤W1/W2≤1.50; the smooth region is disposed between adjacent recess/protrusion regions adjacent to each other; and the recess/protrusion region extends across an entire width of a respective one of the blocks at a widest portion of the one of the blocks. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a width W1 of the recess/protrusion region is in a range 1.0 mm≤W1, and a width W2 of the smooth region is in a range 2.0 mm≤W2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a sum ΣW1 of the widths W1 of a plurality of recess/protrusion regions and a length Lb′ of the road contact surface of the block in the cross-section X have a relationship 0.20≤ΣW1/Lb′. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a sum ΣW2 of the widths W2 of a plurality of smooth regions and the length Lb′ of the road contact surface of the block in the cross-section X have a relationship 0.20≤ΣW2/Lb′. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein an area ratio of the recess/protrusion portions in the recess/protrusion region ranges from not less than 20% to not more than 45%. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the width We of each of the recess/protrusion portions in the recess/protrusion region and the arrangement interval Dc have a relationship 0.80≤Dc/Wc. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement interval Dc between the recess/protrusion portions in the recess/protrusion region and the width W2 of the smooth region have a relationship 4.0≤W2/Dc. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the recess/protrusion region is shaped to be long in the tire lateral direction, and an angle θ formed between a longitudinal center line of the recess/protrusion region and the tire lateral direction is in a range −15 degrees≤θ≤15 degrees. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the smooth region extends along edge portions of the road contact surface of the block in the tire lateral direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the recess/protrusion portions are narrow shallow grooves. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, further comprising a sipe disposed in the smooth region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the recess/protrusion region is devoid of a sipe.