IP Library Granted Patent US 12,214,627
Granted Patent B2
US 12,214,627 · App. 17/276,395 · Granted Feb 4, 2025

Pneumatic tire

Inventors: Takashi Hoshiba (Kanagawa, JP); Tatsuro Shinzawa (Kanagawa, JP); Atsuhito Nakano (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
B60C13/001B60C1/0025
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,214,627
App. No.
17/276,395
Granted
Feb 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A pneumatic tire includes, on a surface of a side rubber provided on sidewall portions, a two-dimensional code in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface. Dot holes are formed in the two-dimensional code, corresponding to dark elements of the gray scale elements. The side rubber is a diene rubber including butadiene rubber, and when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot hole to a hole bottom satisfies a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0.

Claims (27)

1. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

a side rubber provided on each of sidewall portions of the pneumatic tire and covering a carcass ply of the pneumatic tire from an outer side of the tire; and

a two-dimensional code provided on a surface of the side rubber, the two-dimensional code having a configuration in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements including a light element and a dark element distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface and in which dot holes are engraved using light, corresponding to the dark element of the gray scale elements,

the side rubber being a diene rubber comprising butadiene rubber, and

when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B of the blended amount A to the blended amount B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot holes to a hole bottom of the dot holes satisfying a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0, wherein

a 300% tensile modulus of the side rubber is from 5.0 to 9.0 MPa,

the blended amount A is in a range of from greater than 53 parts by mass to less than 68 parts by mass,

a hole wall surface of each dot hole is provided such that a hole cross-section decreases as approaching from the opening to the hole bottom,

a hole wall angle at a cut section of each dot hole obtained by cutting the dot hole by a plane comprising a hole center axis in a depth direction of the dot hole is from 10 to 50 degrees, with respect to the depth direction of the dot hole,

a thickness of the side rubber on a first side in a tire radial direction is greater than that on a second side, the second side being a side opposite to the first side, in a range in which the two-dimensional code is provided, and

the cut section is a cut section along the tire radial direction, and of the hole wall angles of the dot hole at the cut section, a hole wall angle θ 1 on the first side in the tire radial direction is smaller than a hole wall angle θ 2 on the second side in the tire radial direction.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein when S70 is an area of a hole cross-section of the dot at a position separated by 70% of the hole depth D from the opening in the depth direction of the dot and when S0 is an area of the hole cross-section at the opening, a ratio S70/S0 is from 0.2 to 0.5.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein in a cut section of the dot holes along a tire circumferential direction, an absolute value of a difference between a hole wall angle θ 3 on one side in the tire circumferential direction and a hole wall angle θ 4 on an other side is smaller than an absolute value of an angular difference between the hole wall angle θ 1 and the hole wall angle θ 2 .

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein a nitrogen specific surface area of the carbon is from 30 to 90 m2/g.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 45 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 47 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass.

7. A pneumatic tire, comprising:

a side rubber provided on each of sidewall portions of the pneumatic tire and covering a carcass ply of the pneumatic tire from an outer side of the tire; and

a two-dimensional code provided on a surface of the side rubber, the two-dimensional code having a configuration in which a dot pattern is formed by two types of gray scale elements including a light element and a dark element distinguishable from each other by irregularities on the surface and in which dot holes are engraved using light, corresponding to the dark element of the gray scale elements,

the side rubber being a diene rubber comprising butadiene rubber, and

when A is a blended amount of the butadiene rubber relative to 100 parts by mass of the diene rubber contained in the side rubber and when B is a blended amount of carbon, a ratio A/B of the blended amount A to the blended amount B and a hole depth D (mm) from an opening of the dot to a hole bottom of the dot satisfying a relationship of 1.1≤(A/B)/D≤6.0, wherein

a 300% tensile modulus of the side rubber is from 5.0 to 9.0 MPa, and

the blended amount B is in a range of from greater than 47 parts by mass to 55 parts by mass

a hole wall surface of each dot hole is provided such that a hole cross-section decreases as approaching from the opening to the hole bottom,

a hole wall angle at a cut section of each dot hole obtained by cutting the dot hole by a plane comprising a hole center axis in a depth direction of the dot hole is from 10 to 50 degrees, with respect to the depth direction of the dot hole,

a thickness of the side rubber on a first side in a tire radial direction is greater than that on a second side, the second side being a side opposite to the first side, in a range in which the two-dimensional code is provided, and

the cut section is a cut section along the tire radial direction, and of the hole wall angles of the dot hole at the cut section, a hole wall angle θ 1 on the first side in the tire radial direction is smaller than a bole wall angle θ 2 on the second side in the tire radial direction.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR ASSIGNEE Recorded Nov 18, 2023
From: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 065626/0740 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 15, 2021
From: HOSHIBA, TAKASHI; SHINZAWA, TATSURO; NAKANO, ATSUHITO
To: THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 055593/0976 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2018-175729 · Sep 20, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220032692A1 · Feb 3, 2022
References Cited (14)
US 20020139461A1 · Pyle · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20060151451A1 · Smith Jr. et al. · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20090218019A1 · Paturle · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20170050473A1 · Muhlhoff · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20210268843A1 · Shinzawa · 2021 [cited by applicant]
DE 102009044718A1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
DE 202015009105U1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
DE 112019003062T5 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
JP 08003370A · 1996 [cited by examiner]
JP 2017516698A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
WO 2005000714A1 · 2005 [cited by applicant]
“Starting Point Rubber Compounding Formulations.” Datasheet [online]. Nocil Limited. [retrieved on Apr. 22, 2023]. Retrieved from the Internet: <URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20160615162749/https://www.nocil.com/Down… [cited by examiner]
Standard Classification System for Carbon Blacks Used in Rubber Products. ASTM. (Year: 1999). [cited by examiner]
English machine translation of JP-08003370-A. (Year: 1996). [cited by examiner]