US 12,479,178 B2
Pneumatic tire with a textured surface, method of manufacturing, and textured mold
Stephen J. Pierre, Polk City, IA (US); Jared D. Lofland, Ankeny, IA (US); and Andrew J. Minor, Bondurant, IA (US)
Assigned to Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, Nashville, TN (US)
Filed by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC, Nashville, TN (US)
Filed on Sep. 13, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/885,143.
Application 18/885,143 is a division of application No. 16/642,034, granted, now 12,122,192, previously published as PCT/US2018/051900, filed on Sep. 20, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/561,704, filed on Sep. 22, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2025/0010666 A1, Jan. 9, 2025
Int. Cl. B29D 30/06 (2006.01); B29D 30/72 (2006.01); B60C 13/00 (2006.01)
CPC B29D 30/0606 (2013.01) [B29D 30/72 (2013.01); B60C 13/001 (2013.01); B29D 2030/0612 (2013.01); B29D 2030/726 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a tire mold having a sidewall molding surface with an irregular rough surface texture pattern extending circumferentially along the sidewall molding surface so as to mold at least one annular exterior surface of a tire sidewall with an irregular rough surface texture, the irregular rough surface texture:
being integrally formed on the annular exterior surface as a pebble pattern, the pebble pattern being visually discernible from other exterior surfaces of the pneumatic tire by an observer, the pebble pattern being formed by a plurality of irregular recessed portions and a plurality of raised portions of the annular exterior surface, the plurality of irregular recessed portions each being generally oval shaped and bounded by an irregular curve-shaped path, the plurality of irregular recessed portions varying non-uniformly in size, the plurality of recessed portions and raised portions having substantially flat surfaces and the plurality of irregular recessed portions recessed into the tire sidewall with respect to the plurality of raised portions and having an irregularity depth of at least 0.1 millimeters; and
formed so as to provide a non-uniform, coarse surface texture finish that extends circumferentially along the annular exterior surface of the at least one of the first and second sidewalls.