US 9,868,325 B2Granted

Pneumatic tire

AssigneeBridgestone Corporation

InventorYukihiro Kiwaki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A pneumatic tire, while achieving excellent drainage performance by projections and depressions formed in a circumferential groove, can reduce road noise by making the circumferential stiffness of a land portion uniform even in the presence of such projections and depressions. A plurality of protuberances are arranged in at least one circumferential groove at intervals in the tread circumferential direction, the protuberances being raised from the inner surface of the circumferential groove and extending from the groove bottom of the circumferential groove to at least one groove wall surface in the tread width direction. A plurality of sipes are arranged in a land portion adjacent to the groove wall surface of the circumferential groove to which the protuberances extend, the sipes being open to the circumferential groove in areas where the respective protuberances are arranged.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A pneumatic tire in which at least one circumferential groove continuously extending in a tread circumferential direction is formed in a tread surface to define land portions by the circumferential groove,

wherein a plurality of protuberances are arranged in the circumferential groove at intervals in the tread circumferential direction to define an intra-groove groove between protuberances adjacent in the tread circumferential direction, the plurality of protuberances being raised from an inner surface of the circumferential groove and extending from a groove bottom of the circumferential groove to at least one groove wall surface in a tread width direction,
a plurality of sipes are arranged in a land portion adjacent to the groove wall surface of the circumferential groove to which the plurality of protuberances extend, the plurality of sipes being open to the circumferential groove in areas where the respective plurality of protuberances are arranged,
a plurality of vertical groves are arranged, in the tread circumferential direction, in the land portion adjacent to the groove wall surface of the circumferential groove to which the plurality of protuberances extend, and
the other end of each of the plurality of sipes opens to a corresponding one of the plurality of vertical grooves.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/432,854Filed 25 Sep 2013
Priority: JP 2012-23505224 Oct 2012
Published: US 2015/0273952 A11 Oct 2015
Granted: 16 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B60C 11/1307
Characterised by the groove cross-section, e.g. for buttressing or preventing stone-trapping: with special features of the groove walls
B60C 11/0309
Patterns comprising block rows or discontinuous ribs: further characterised by the groove cross-section
B60C 11/1236
Characterised by the use of narrow slits or incisions, e.g. sipes: with special arrangements in the tread pattern
B60C 2011/0341
Grooves: circumferential grooves