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US 2011/0220257 A1Published application
Tire including concave recesses in a circumferential tread
AssigneeBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorsFrancis J. Byrne, Keith Dumigan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tire having an equatorial plane and a circumferential tread is provided. The tread includes at least one recess defined by at least one concave surface having a plurality of sipes formed therein. Optionally, the at least one concave surface can include one or more channel disposed therein.
Claims21
1-26. (canceled)
A circumferential tread of a tire having an equatorial plane, the circumferential tread comprising:
- at least one concave recess defined by at least two concave curved side surfaces and a substantially flat bottom surface, wherein the at least one concave recess has a longitudinal axis oriented at an acute angle relative to the equatorial plane of the tire;
- and
- a channel disposed in the substantially flat bottom surface of the at least one concave recess without extending into a concave curved side surface, wherein the channel is defined by a bottom surface and at least two substantially straight sidewalls disposed substantially perpendicular to the substantially flat bottom surface of the at least one concave recess.
A tire having an equatorial plane, the tire comprising:
- a circumferential tread having an outer tread surface;
- at least one recess disposed in the circumferential tread, the at least one recess defined by a bottom surface and at least one concave curved side surface having at least one sipe formed therein, wherein the at least one sipe formed in the at least one concave curved side surface does not extend into any of the outer tread surface of the circumferential tread and the bottom surface of the at least one recess;
- and
- a channel disposed in the bottom surface of the at least one recess without extending into the at least one concave curved side surface, wherein the channel is defined by a bottom surface and at least two substantially straight sidewalls disposed in a substantially radial direction.
1 more element
A tire comprising:
- a plurality of first recesses, each of the plurality of first recesses having a longitudinal axis, at least two side surfaces, a bottom surface, and a channel disposed in the bottom surface without extending into either of the at least two side surfaces;
- and
- a plurality of second recesses, each of the plurality of second recesses having a longitudinal axis, at least two side surfaces, a bottom surface, and a channel disposed in the bottom surface without extending into either of the at least two side surfaces,
- wherein the plurality of first and second recesses are arranged in a series circumferentially about the tire in an alternating pattern,
- wherein the channel in each of the plurality of first recesses has a longitudinal axis oriented at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the first recess and the channel in each of the plurality of second recesses has a longitudinal axis oriented at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the second recess, and
- wherein the longitudinal axis of each channel is oriented at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the channel disposed in the bottom surface of each adjacent recess.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.