US 4,306,603 AGranted

Vehicle tire with tractive elements

AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.

InventorsDeepak V. Dighe, Earl F. Burton

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Abstract

A vehicle tire with tractive elements for positive engagement with the ground surface is disclosed. The tire carcass has a tread including circumferentially spaced raised features. At least one flexible but substantially inextensible belt is positioned radially outwardly of the tread, and a respective plurality of retainer elements are positioned radially inwardly of the belt, the tractive elements being positioned radially outwardly of the belt and being releasably attached to the associated retainer elements for clamping the belt tightly therebetween. Inflation pressure within the carcass expands its crown region to maintain the belt in a taut condition, and at least one element of each set of associated tractive and retainer elements is positively mechanically linked to at least one of the raised features of the tread to limit circumferential displacement of the tractive elements relative to the tread.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A vehicle tire comprising:

(a) a pneumatic tire carcass constructed and arranged so that at least the crown region of said carcass is substantially circumferentially and radially extensible, said carcass having a tread formed integrally therewith and overlying at least the crown region of said carcass, said tread including a plurality of raised generally axially extending ribs spaced around the circumference of the carcass, each pair of said ribs defining a generally axially extending groove;
(b) a flexible endless belt extending circumferentially around said carcass radially outwardly of said tread, said belt being substantially inextensible at least in the circumferential direction;
(c) a plurality of retainer elements mounted between said belt and said tread, each of said retainer elements lying in a respective one of said grooves and being adapted to engage at least one of the adjacent ribs of said tread which define the groove in which such retainer elements lies, such engagement effecting a positive mechanical linking of said retainer element to said one of said ribs, said ribs of said tread defining a number of said grooves equal to the number of said retainer elements, each retainer element having an axial extent which is at least a major portion of the axial extent of the tread but is less than the full axial extent thereof;
(d) a plurality of tractive elements mounted around the periphery of said tire and generally radially outwardly of said belt, each of said tractive elements being associated with at least one of said retainer elements and said belt to limit circumferential displacement of said tractive elements relative to said tread;
and
(e) means for attaching said tractive elements to the respective retainer elements associated therewith;
(f) said tread including a pair of flanges extending around the circumference of said carcass on axially opposite sides thereof closely overlying the axially opposite ends of said retainer elements, said flanges serving to prevent dislodgement of said retainer elements from said grooves by axial motion of said retainer elements relative to said carcass;
(g) said tractive elements including axially spaced, radially inward surface portions thereon closely overlying said flanges so that each of said tractive elements abuts both of said flanges to aid in the transmission of radial loads to said carcass.

5 more elements

A vehicle tire comprising:

(a) a pneumatic tire carcass constructed and arranged so that at least the crown region of said carcass is substantially circumferentially and radially extensible, said carcass having a tread formed integrally therewith and overlying at least the crown region of said carcass, said tread including a plurality of raised features spaced around the circumference of the carcass, adjacent ones of said raised features defining depressions therebetween, said tread including a first axial region at one side of the circumferential arrangement of said raised features where said tread is devoid of said features and said depressions;
(b) a flexible endless belt extending circumferentially around said carcass radially outwardly of said tread, said belt being substantially inextensible at least in the circumferential direction;
(c) a plurality of retainer elements mounted between said belt and said tread, said retainer elements and said belt overlying said first axial region;
(d) a plurality of tractive elements mounted around the periphery of said tire and generally radially outwardly of said belt, each of said tractive elements being associated with at least one of said retainer elements, each of said tractive elements being associated with a respective one of said depressions, and each of said tractive elements including circumferentially opposite surface portions lying within the depression with which such tractive element is associated, said surface portions being adapted to engage the respective raised features which define such depression;
and
(e) means for attaching said tractive elements to the respective retainer elements associated therewith;
(f) at least one element of each set of associated tractive and retainer elements being positively mechanically linked to at least one of said raised features to limit circumferential displacement of said tractive elements relative to said tread, the engagement of the opposite surface portions of said tractive elements with the respective raised features effecting the positive mechanical linking of said tractive elements to said raised features.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.