US 11,745,546 B2
Tire
Hidetoshi Taniguchi, Kobe (JP)
Assigned to SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., Kobe (JP)
Filed by SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., Kobe (JP)
Filed on Apr. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/226,516.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-082055 (JP), filed on May 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0347210 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. B60C 11/04 (2006.01); B60C 11/03 (2006.01); B60C 11/12 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/04 (2013.01) [B60C 11/032 (2013.01); B60C 2011/036 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0344 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0348 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0351 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0362 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0383 (2013.01); B60C 2011/1254 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tire comprising four circumferential grooves and five land portions provided in a tread thereof, wherein
the circumferential grooves include a pair of crown circumferential grooves located on both sides of a tire equator, and a pair of shoulder circumferential grooves located outward of the crown circumferential grooves,
the land portions include a crown land portion demarcated by the crown circumferential grooves, and a pair of middle land portions each demarcated by the crown circumferential groove and the shoulder circumferential groove,
the crown land portion includes a main crown shallow groove extending at the tire equator, and at least two sub-crown shallow grooves each extending so as to communicate with the crown circumferential groove and the main crown shallow groove,
the pair of middle land portions includes V-shaped slots recessed from a tread surface, respectively, and
the sub-crown shallow grooves and the slots are located so as to be substantially point-symmetrical about a midpoint between positions at which the adjacent sub-crown shallow grooves communicate with the main crown shallow groove,
wherein a shortest length from an opening edge of each of the slots to an edge of the middle land portion is equal to or greater than 15% and equal to or less than 35% of a width of the middle land portion.
 
19. A tire comprising four circumferential grooves and five land portions provided in a tread thereof, wherein
the circumferential grooves include a pair of crown circumferential grooves located on both sides of a tire equator, and a pair of shoulder circumferential grooves located outward of the crown circumferential grooves,
the land portions include a crown land portion demarcated by the crown circumferential grooves, and a pair of middle land portions each demarcated by the crown circumferential groove and the shoulder circumferential groove,
the crown land portion includes a main crown shallow groove extending at the tire equator, and at least two sub-crown shallow grooves each extending so as to communicate with the crown circumferential groove and the main crown shallow groove,
the pair of middle land portions includes V-shaped slots recessed from a tread surface, respectively, and
the sub-crown shallow grooves and the slots are located so as to be substantially point-symmetrical about a midpoint between positions at which the adjacent sub-crown shallow grooves communicate with the main crown shallow groove,
wherein each of the slots is located so as to intersect a reference line that is parallel to a tire axial direction and that passes through a position at which the sub-crown shallow groove communicates with the crown circumferential groove, and
wherein one of the slots of the pair of middle land portions each of which is located so as to intersect the reference line is located on the crown circumferential groove side, and the other slot is located on the shoulder circumferential groove side.