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US 6,286,573 B1Granted
Tire with light reflecting fluorescent strips
OwnerGerald W. Hineinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tire with light reflecting fluorescent strips for helping enhance the visibility of a vehicle. The tire with light reflecting fluorescent strips includes a spaced apart pair of side walls and a tread portion connecting the side walls together. The tread portion has a plurality of alternating ridges and grooves therearound. The tread portion also has at least one annular light reflecting reflective strip in at least one of the grooves of the tread portion.
Claims1
A tire, comprising:
- a spaced apart pair of annular side walls and an annular tread portion integrally connecting said side walls together;
- each of said side walls terminating at a generally circular beaded inner edge;
- said tread portion having a plurality of alternating annular ridges and grooves therearound, such that each of said grooves of said tread portion is positioned between a pair of ridges of said tread portion, said grooves of said tread portion each having a width defined in a direction extending between said side walls;
- said tread portion having three annular light reflecting reflective strips each positioned in one of said grooves of said tread portion;
- each of said side walls having an annular light reflecting reflective strip thereon;
- each of said reflective strips of said walls being positioned generally equidistantly between said tread portion and the inner edge of the respective side wall;
- each of said reflecting strips comprising a light reflecting material having a greater reflection factor than said tread portion;
- wherein each of said reflecting strips comprises a fluorescent colored material;
- each of said reflective strips of said tread portion having a depth and a width, said width and said depth of each of said respective strips being substantially equal to said depth and said width of a respective one of said grooves in which said strip is positioned such that each of said reflective strips substantially fills said grove and the outer surface of said strips is substantially flush with an outer surface of said ridges, wherein the width of said reflective strips is uniform from the outer surface of said reflective strip to the innermost portion of said reflective strip;
- the outer surface of each of said reflective strips being generally coplanar with upper surfaces of the adjacent ridges of said tread portion;
- said plurality of grooves comprising alternating wide and narrow grooves, said width of each wide groove being greater said width of each narrow groove;
- and
- each of said reflective strips of said tread portion being provided in each of said wide grooves of said tread portion.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.