# US 12,214,621 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 12,214,621 B2 - Document ID: US12214621B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/260,211 - Filed: 2019-07-09 - Published: 2021-09-02 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-13 - Assignees: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. - Applicants: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD. - Inventors: Kenichi Matsumoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214621B2 ## CPC - B60C 11/0304: {Asymmetric patterns} - B60C 11/0306: {Patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs} - B60C 11/04: in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag (B60C11/12, B60C11/13 take precedence) - B60C 11/1236: {with special arrangements in the tread pattern} - B60C 11/1259: {Depth of the sipe} - B60C 11/1272: {Width of the sipe} - B60C 2011/0348: {Narrow grooves, i.e. having a width of less than 4 mm} - B60C 2011/0351: {Shallow grooves, i.e. having a depth of less than 50% of other grooves} - B60C 2011/0353: {characterised by width} - B60C 2011/0355: {characterised by depth} - B60C 2011/0365: {characterised by width} - B60C 2011/0367: {characterised by depth} - B60C 2011/0372: {with particular inclination angles} - B60C 2011/0381: {Blind or isolated grooves} - B60C 2011/1209: {straight at the tread surface} - B60C 2011/1295: {variable} - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract A tread pattern of a pneumatic tire includes a pair of circumferential grooves and a plurality of siped lug grooves extending in a tire width direction between the pair of circumferential grooves and disposed at intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the siped lug grooves includes a lug groove extending from a first circumferential groove of the pair of circumferential grooves and closed, and a sipe extending from a closed end of the lug groove toward a second circumferential groove and connected to the second circumferential groove. The plurality of siped lug grooves include at least one first siped lug groove extending while bending with an extension direction of the lug groove differing from an extension direction of the sipe, and at least one second siped lug groove extending linearly with the extension direction of the lug groove aligning with the extension direction of the sipe. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pneumatic tire comprising a tread pattern in a tread portion, the tread pattern comprising: a pair of circumferential grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction; and a plurality of siped lug grooves extending in a tire width direction between the pair of circumferential grooves and disposed at intervals in the tire circumferential direction; each of the siped lug grooves comprising: a lug groove extending from a first circumferential groove of the pair of circumferential grooves and closed within a region between the first circumferential groove and a second circumferential groove differing from the first circumferential groove; and a sipe extending from a closed end of the lug groove toward the second circumferential groove and directly connected to the second circumferential groove; the plurality of siped lug grooves comprising at least one first siped lug groove extending while bending with an extension direction of the lug groove differing from an extension direction of the sipe, and at least one second siped lug groove extending linearly with the extension direction of the lug groove aligning with the extension direction of the sipe; wherein for each of the siped lug grooves, the extension direction of the lug groove and the extension direction of the sipe incline toward a same side in the tire circumferential direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first siped lug groove comprises a plurality of types of siped lug grooves having different bend angles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first siped lug groove is disposed forming a pair of siped lug grooves adjacent in the tire circumferential direction, and the at least one second siped lug groove is disposed forming a pair of siped lug grooves adjacent in the tire circumferential direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a number of the first siped lug grooves to a number of the second siped lug grooves in the region ranges from 1 to 5. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first siped lug groove comprises a siped lug groove bent projecting toward a first side in the tire circumferential direction, and a siped lug groove bent projecting toward a second side opposite to the first side in the tire circumferential direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The pneumatic tire according to claim 5, wherein a ratio of a number of the siped lug grooves bent toward the second side to a number of the siped lug grooves bent toward the first side ranges from 0.5 to 3. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein, in the at least one first siped lug groove, a smaller angle of angles formed between the extension direction of the sipe and the extension direction of the lug groove is 30 degrees or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The pneumatic tire according to claim 7, wherein the smaller angle is 10 degrees or less. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein, among the siped lug grooves, as for two siped lug grooves adjacent in the tire circumferential direction, a distance A between connection positions of the sipes and the second circumferential groove is equal to a distance B between connection positions of the sipes and the lug grooves. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the second circumferential groove has a smaller groove width than a groove width of the first circumferential groove. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The pneumatic tire according to claim 10, wherein a sipe depth of the sipe is smaller at an end portion of the sipe connected to the second circumferential groove than a sipe depth at a portion of the sipe that is farther from the second circumferential groove than the end portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The pneumatic tire according to claim 10, wherein the tread pattern comprises a circumferential groove group comprising the pair of circumferential grooves and one or a plurality of circumferential grooves differing from the pair of circumferential grooves and extending in the tire circumferential direction, and in the circumferential groove group, a third circumferential groove disposed opposite to the second circumferential groove with respect to the first circumferential groove and adjacent to the first circumferential groove has a smaller groove width than a groove width of the first circumferential groove. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a groove wall opposite to a side of the second circumferential groove of a pair of groove walls of the first circumferential groove and a groove wall opposite to a side of the first circumferential groove of a pair of groove walls of the second circumferential groove continuously extend without a break in the tire circumferential direction in a surface of the tread portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the first circumferential groove is disposed at a position farther from a tire centerline than the second circumferential groove. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a vehicle mounting orientation of the pneumatic tire is specified for the tread pattern, and the pair of circumferential grooves is disposed in a region disposed in a vehicle inner side of regions of both sides in the tire width direction of the tread pattern with the tire centerline as a reference. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein at least some sipes of the sipes are closeable within a ground contact surface of the tread portion. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a sipe width of each of the sipes is narrower than a groove width of each of the lug grooves. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the tread pattern comprises four circumferential main grooves, the first circumferential groove being one of the four circumferential main grooves and the second circumferential groove having a narrower width than any of the four circumferential main grooves. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the first circumferential groove and the second circumferential groove define a first land portion therebetween, the tire further comprising a third circumferential groove defining a second land portion between the third circumferential groove and the second circumferential groove, the second land portion only including non-siped lug grooves which terminate at one end in the second land portion and the third circumferential groove having a width of from 5 mm to 15 mm.