US 11,738,603 B2
Tire
Keiji Higuchi, Kobe (JP); Teppei Nakamichi, Kobe (JP); Tomohisa Kuriyama, Kobe (JP); and Kengo Fukuda, Kobe (JP)
Assigned to SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., Kobe (JP)
Filed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Kobe (JP)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/116,392.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-223073 (JP), filed on Dec. 10, 2019; and application No. 2020-180791 (JP), filed on Oct. 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0170800 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. B60C 11/12 (2006.01); B60C 11/03 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 11/1236 (2013.01) [B60C 11/0304 (2013.01); B60C 11/1281 (2013.01); B60C 2011/036 (2013.01); B60C 2011/0353 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tire comprising:
a tread portion, wherein the tread portion comprises:
three circumferential grooves extending between two tread ends continuously in a tire circumferential direction, and
four land portions demarcated by the circumferential grooves,
wherein the circumferential grooves include two shoulder circumferential grooves and one crown circumferential groove between the two shoulder circumferential grooves,
wherein the land portions comprise two shoulder land portions that respectively include the tread ends, and two middle land portions demarcated between the shoulder circumferential grooves and the crown circumferential groove,
wherein the tread portion has a designated mounting direction to a vehicle, wherein the two tread ends comprise an outer tread end to be located on an outer side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle, and an inner tread end to be located on an inner side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle,
wherein each of the two middle land portions comprises:
a circumferential sipe extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction,
a plurality of first middle sipes extending from the crown circumferential groove and terminating in a corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe, and
a plurality of second middle sipes extending from a corresponding one of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the corresponding one of the middle land portions without connecting with the circumferential sipe,
wherein each of the two shoulder land portions comprises a plurality of shoulder lateral grooves extending from a corresponding one of the tread ends and terminating in a corresponding one of the shoulder land portions,
wherein an inner middle land portion of the two middle land portions includes a plurality of inner middle sipes extending from an inner shoulder circumferential groove of the shoulder circumferential grooves and terminating in the inner middle land portion,
wherein the inner middle sipes alternate with the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion in the tire circumferential direction,
wherein the second middle sipes of the inner middle land portion are chamfered on opposite sides in the tire circumferential direction, and
wherein the inner middle sipes are free of any chamfers.