Pneumatic Tire

• US 20080257469A1
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TOYO Tire & Rubber Company Limited (Toyo Tire Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TOYO Tire & Rubber Company Limited (Toyo Tire Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohara, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 152/209.21
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/01 Shape of the shoulders between tread and sidewall, e.g. rounded, stepped or cantilevered
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/0309 further characterised by the groove cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 11/042 further characterised by the groove cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 152/03 Slits in threads

Abstract

A pneumatic tire comprising a shoulder rib segmented into a main rib located at the inner side thereof in a width direction of the tire and a thin rib located at the outer side thereof in the width direction of the tire by a thin groove extending along a circumferential direction of the tire, wherein the thin groove includes a large-width portion having a relatively larger groove width and a small-width portion having a relatively smaller groove width continuously formed one after the other along the circumferential direction of the tire, and an inner wall of the large-width portion located at the thin rib side is disposed at a further outer side with respect to an inner wall of the small-width portion located at the thin rib side as viewed in the width direction of the tire, a protruding portion protruding outwardly in the width direction of the tire from an edge line of the thin rib located at the outer side in the width direction of the tire is formed at a position where the large-width portion is disposed in the circumferential direction of the tire.

Claims

1. A pneumatic tire comprising a shoulder rib segmented into a main rib located at the inner side thereof in a width direction of the tire and a thin rib located at the outer side thereof in the width direction of the tire by a thin groove extending along a circumferential direction of the tire, wherein

the thin groove includes a large-width portion having a relatively larger groove width and a small-width portion having a relatively smaller groove width continuously formed one after the other along the circumferential direction of the tire, and an inner wall of the large-width portion located at the thin rib side is disposed at a further outer side with respect to an inner wall of the small-width portion located at the thin rib side as viewed in the width direction of the tire,

a protruding portion protruding outwardly in the width direction of the tire from an edge line of the thin rib located at the outer side in the width direction of the tire is formed at a position where the large-width portion is disposed in the circumferential direction of the tire.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the small-width portion has a groove width at the groove bottom enlarged toward the thin rib side and a groove width of the thin groove at the groove bottom is constant in the circumferential direction of the tire.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of a total length of the large-width portion in the circumferential direction of the tire with respect to a total length of the thin groove in the circumferential direction of the tire is 0.2 or more.