# US 12,214,627 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 12,214,627 B2 - Document ID: US12214627B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/276,395 - Filed: 2019-09-11 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-20 - Assignees: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. - Applicants: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD. - Inventors: Takashi Hoshiba; Tatsuro Shinzawa; Atsuhito Nakano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214627B2 ## CPC - B60C 13/001: {Decorating, marking or the like} - B60C 1/0025: {Compositions of the sidewalls} - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES ## Abstract A pneumatic tire includes, on a surface of a side rubber provided on sidewall portions, a two-dimensional code in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface. Dot holes are formed in the two-dimensional code, corresponding to dark elements of the gray scale elements. The side rubber is a diene rubber including butadiene rubber, and when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot hole to a hole bottom satisfies a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A pneumatic tire, comprising: a side rubber provided on each of sidewall portions of the pneumatic tire and covering a carcass ply of the pneumatic tire from an outer side of the tire; and a two-dimensional code provided on a surface of the side rubber, the two-dimensional code having a configuration in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements including a light element and a dark element distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface and in which dot holes are engraved using light, corresponding to the dark element of the gray scale elements, the side rubber being a diene rubber comprising butadiene rubber, and when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B of the blended amount A to the blended amount B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot holes to a hole bottom of the dot holes satisfying a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0, wherein a 300% tensile modulus of the side rubber is from 5.0 to 9.0 MPa, the blended amount A is in a range of from greater than 53 parts by mass to less than 68 parts by mass, a hole wall surface of each dot hole is provided such that a hole cross-section decreases as approaching from the opening to the hole bottom, a hole wall angle at a cut section of each dot hole obtained by cutting the dot hole by a plane comprising a hole center axis in a depth direction of the dot hole is from 10 to 50 degrees, with respect to the depth direction of the dot hole, a thickness of the side rubber on a first side in a tire radial direction is greater than that on a second side, the second side being a side opposite to the first side, in a range in which the two-dimensional code is provided, and the cut section is a cut section along the tire radial direction, and of the hole wall angles of the dot hole at the cut section, a hole wall angle θ1 on the first side in the tire radial direction is smaller than a hole wall angle θ2 on the second side in the tire radial direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein when S70 is an area of a hole cross-section of the dot at a position separated by 70% of the hole depth D from the opening in the depth direction of the dot and when S0 is an area of the hole cross-section at the opening, a ratio S70/S0 is from 0.2 to 0.5. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein in a cut section of the dot holes along a tire circumferential direction, an absolute value of a difference between a hole wall angle θ3 on one side in the tire circumferential direction and a hole wall angle θ4 on an other side is smaller than an absolute value of an angular difference between the hole wall angle θ1 and the hole wall angle θ2. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a nitrogen specific surface area of the carbon is from 30 to 90 m2/g. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 45 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 47 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass. ### Claim 7 A pneumatic tire, comprising: a side rubber provided on each of sidewall portions of the pneumatic tire and covering a carcass ply of the pneumatic tire from an outer side of the tire; and a two-dimensional code provided on a surface of the side rubber, the two-dimensional code having a configuration in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements including a light element and a dark element distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface and in which dot holes are engraved using light, corresponding to the dark element of the gray scale elements, the side rubber being a diene rubber comprising butadiene rubber, and when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B of the blended amount A to the blended amount B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot to a hole bottom of the dot satisfying a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0, wherein a 300% tensile modulus of the side rubber is from 5.0 to 9.0 MPa, and the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 47 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass a hole wall surface of each dot hole is provided such that a hole cross-section decreases as approaching from the opening to the hole bottom, a hole wall angle at a cut section of each dot hole obtained by cutting the dot hole by a plane comprising a hole center axis in a depth direction of the dot hole is from 10 to 50 degrees, with respect to the depth direction of the dot hole, a thickness of the side rubber on a first side in a tire radial direction is greater than that on a second side, the second side being a side opposite to the first side, in a range in which the two-dimensional code is provided, and the cut section is a cut section along the tire radial direction, and of the hole wall angles of the dot hole at the cut section, a hole wall angle θ1 on the first side in the tire radial direction is smaller than a bole wall angle θ2 on the second side in the tire radial direction.