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US 8,522,845 B2Granted
Pneumatic tire
AssigneeThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
InventorTetsuo Ikegami
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AssigneeThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
InventorTetsuo Ikegami
Estimating the term…
Provided is a pneumatic tire which is capable of securing a driving stability on dry road surfaces and concurrently of improving snow performance without worsening its pattern noise. The pneumatic tire includes four main grooves each extending in its tread part in a tire circumferential direction, and the four main grooves partition the tread part into: a center land part; paired intermediate land parts located with the center land part being interposed in between; and paired shoulder land parts located with the center land part and the paired intermediate land parts being interposed in between. Each of the intermediate land parts and the shoulder land parts includes multiple V-shaped grooves each configured of: a thick groove part extending in a tire width direction; and a thin groove part extending in the tire circumferential direction. The V-shaped grooves are arranged in a way that each paired V-shaped grooves are opposed to each other in the tire circumferential direction with a connecting groove part being interposed between vertices of the respective paired V-shaped grooves. Each thick groove part communicates with the main grooves or the outside of a ground contacting area. Each thin groove part terminates within the land part.
A pneumatic tire which includes four main grooves each extending in a tire circumferential direction in its tread part, and in which the four main grooves partition the tread part into:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Characterised by the groove cross-section, e.g. for buttressing or preventing stone-trapping: tie bars for linking block elements and bridging the…
Tread patterns: patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs
Tread patterns: characterised by the use of narrow slits or incisions, e.g. sipes
Continuous ribs: provided at the equatorial plane
About 5 years of term left · ends 19 Oct 2031 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire provided with four main grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction in its tread part. Specifically, the present invention relates to a pneumatic tire which has a secured driving stability on dry road surfaces and concurrently which has an improved snow performance without worsening its pattern noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a development view showing a tread pattern of a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a magnified view showing a chief part of the tread pattern shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a tread pattern of a conventional pneumatic tire.
Detailed descriptions will be provided hereinbelow for the configuration according to the present invention by referring to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a development view showing a tread pattern of a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a magnified view showing a chief part of the tread pattern shown in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, four main grooves 2 each extending straight in the tire circumferential direction are formed in a tread part 1. These main grooves 2 partition the tread part 1 into: a center land part 10 located in the tread center; paired intermediate land parts 20 located with the center land part being interposed in between; and paired shoulder land parts 30 located with the center land part 10 and the paired intermediate land parts 20 being interposed in between.
In the foregoing pneumatic tire, multiple notched grooves 11 and multiple sipes 12 are formed in the center land part 10. The notched grooves 11 extend in the tire width direction. The sipes 12 extend in the tire width direction from a tip of the respective notched grooves 11. The notched grooves 11 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction in a way that the notched grooves 11 communicating with an edge portion of the center land part 10 alternate with the notched grooves 11 communicating with the other edge portion of the center land part 10. Similarly, the sipes 12 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction in a way that the sipes 12 communicating with an edge portion of the center land part 10 alternate with the sipes 12 communicating with the other edge portion of the center land part 10. The notched grooves 11 and the sipes 12 divide the center land part 10 into blocks arranged one after another in the tire circumferential direction. The notched grooves 11 exhibit the traction performance during snow driving, and also do not impair the driving stability on dry road surfaces, because none of the notched grooves 11 cut across the center land part 10 singly. On the other hand, the sipes 12, which are narrower than the notched grooves 11 in width, reduce the rigidity of the center land part 10 to an appropriate extent, and thus help to prevent uneven tire wear.