US 12,257,860 B2
Tread for a winter pneumatic tire and a winter pneumatic tire
Alessandro Amenta, Rome (IT); Emanuela Paciulli, Rome (IT); Luca Manfre', Rome (IT); and Pierfrancesco Triboulet, Rome (IT)
Assigned to Bridgestone Europe NV/SA, Zaventem (BE)
Appl. No. 17/284,082
Filed by BRIDGESTONE EUROPE NV/SA, Zaventem (BE)
PCT Filed Oct. 4, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/076925
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 9, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/078742, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 23, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102018000009473 (IT), filed on Oct. 16, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0347207 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. B60C 11/12 (2006.01); B60C 11/03 (2006.01); B60C 11/13 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/0302 (2013.01) [B60C 11/1236 (2013.01); B60C 11/1263 (2013.01); B60C 11/1315 (2013.01); B60C 11/1323 (2013.01); B60C 11/1369 (2013.01); B60C 2011/1213 (2013.01)] 31 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tread for a pneumatic tire, comprising:
a sequence of tread elements arranged in succession and interspersed with first grooves, each tread element having an overall V shape with two lateral wings, each of said lateral wings being formed from three tread blocks separated there between by second grooves,
wherein said three tread blocks comprise at least one shoulder block having a first major extension direction inclined by a first angle with respect to a line orthogonal to a center line of the tread ranging between 8° and 12°,
wherein said at least one shoulder block comprises at least one first notch with a longitudinal evolution according to said first major extension direction, said at least one first notch having a zig-zag evolution for at least part of a length thereof,
wherein each shoulder block comprises a channel with a longitudinal evolution which extends onto the shoulder block, until it reaches and emerges upon the corresponding second groove, and
wherein said channel with a longitudinal evolution comprises an end portion that opens onto said second groove, said end portion having a variable depth, said end portion having at least a first inclined portion wherein the depth gradually decreases from the outside towards the inside of the pneumatic tire and a second portion between the first portion and the second groove and which has a constant depth, as an interface between the channel and the second groove approaches,
wherein the at least first inclined portion has a length, in the longitudinal direction of the evolution of the channel itself, between 15 mm and 30 mm.