Patents for October

October 16, 2023October 16, 2023 RubberWorld 773 Views 2023, october

Patent as compiled by the editors of Rubber World Magazine for October 2023

Multilayer intrinsic sealants based on ionic butyl
U.S. patent: 11,738,606
Issued: August 23, 2023
Inventors: Ramendra Nath Majumdar and Wang Dapeng
Assigned: Triangle Tyre
Key statement: A tire with in-situ generated two or more intrinsic puncture sealant layers based on ionic butyl with two or more different viscosities comprising a supporting tire carcass having one or more layers of ply, an outer circumferential tread and a radially inner layer, a pair of beads, sidewalls extending radially inward from the axial outer edges of a tread portion to join the respective beads, a sealant comprising an outer layer of sealant and an inner layer of sealant, disposed radially inwardly from the radially inner layer of the tire carcass, wherein the outer layer of sealant and the inner layer of sealant have different viscosities, wherein the sealant provides selfsealing properties to the tire and wherein the inner layer of sealant is crosslinked to the outer layer of sealant with no barrier separating the inner and outer layers of sealant.

Method for producing nitrile group containing copolymer rubber
U.S. patent: 11,692,051
Issued: July 4, 2023
Inventors: Atsuhiro Shiono and Tomoyuki Shibuya
Assigned: Zeon
Key statement: A method for producing a nitrile group-containing copolymer rubber including copolymerizing a monomer mixture containing an α,β- ethylenically unsaturated nitrile monomer and a conjugated diene monomer, in which the copolymer has a Mooney viscosity (ML1+4, 100°C) in a range of 30 to 60 at a time point when a polymerization conversion rate is 60%, the copolymerization is carried out until the polymerization conversion rate reaches 85% or more, and the obtained nitrile group-containing copolymer rubber has a Mooney viscosity (ML1+4, 100°C) of 85 to 150.

Anti-sticking agent composition for unvulcanized rubber, aqueous dispersion liquid of anti-sticking agent composition for unvulcanized rubber and unvulcanized rubber
U.S. patent: 11,692,092
Issued: July 4, 2023
Inventors: Shiro Sehata, Kazuyuki Sakamoto and Takao Oka
Assigned: Lion Specialty Chemicals
Key statement: An anti-sticking agent composition for an unvulcanized rubber of the present disclosure includes the following components (A) to (C) and water is provided. The component (A) contains the following component (A1) and the following component (A2). The component (A) is watersoluble polymer, the component (B) is metallic soap, the component (C) is surfactant, the component is (A1) water-soluble polymer other than the component (A2) and the component (A2) is non-ionic cellulose ether.

Tire
U.S. patent: 11,691,459
Issued: July 4, 2023
Inventor: Kazuma Mori
Assigned: Sumitomo Rubber Industries
Key statement: A tire comprises a tread portion. The tread portion is provided with a sipe. The sipe comprises four sipe segments: a first sipe segment, a second sipe segment, a third sipe segment and a fourth sipe segment. At least one of the first sipe segment and the third sipe segment comprises an oscillated portion which extends in the radial direction of the tire, while oscillating in a lateral direction orthogonal to the length direction of the sipe in a cross section of the sipe orthogonal to the length direction. Each of the first sipe segment and the third sipe segment comprises the oscillated portion including an oscillating start portion and the oscillating-start portion of the first sipe segment is inclined with respect to the tire radial direction in the same direction as the oscillating-start portion of the third sipe segment.

Rubber composition
U.S. patent: 11,692,088
Issued: July 4, 2023
Inventors: Kazumasa Matsuo, Natsuyo
Kamimoto, Tatsuhiko Adachi, Toshihiro Nobuoka and Takeshi Hara
Assigned: Sumitomo Chemical
Key statement: The present invention provides a rubber composition obtained by kneading a rubber component, a vulcanization accelerator, silica and a compound represented by the following formula (I): wherein the groups are as defined in the description.

Composite with direct bonding between rubber and foam
U.S. patent: 11,691,395
Issued: July 4, 2023
Inventors: Zheng Zhang and Huaili Qin
Assigned: Dow Global Technologies
Key statement: This disclosure relates to a composite comprising (a) a rubber layer comprising a cured rubber and optionally a first copolymer having carboxyl groups or anhydride groups; and (b) a foam layer comprising a crosslinked ethylene vinyl acetate and optionally a second copolymer having carboxyl groups or glycidyl methacrylate groups; wherein the foam layer has at least one surface adhering to the rubber layer directly and provided that either the first copolymer or the second copolymer is present and the composite is free of glues or adhesive films in the interface between the rubber layer and the foam layer.

Stabilizer structure for a tread of a tire
U.S. patent: 11,697,312
Issued: July 11, 2023
Inventors: Ettore Passante Spaccapietra, Philippe Joseph Auguste Muller, Marco Nicolò Coccon and Lionel
Jean-Marie Bortolet
Assigned: Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Key statement: A tread for a tire includes a first circumferential main groove, a second circumferential main groove, a third circumferential main groove and a fourth circumferential main groove. The fourth main groove has a stabilizing structure for increasing tread stiffness. The stabilizing structure has a circumferentially extending subgroove in a radially innermost bottom of the fourth circumferential main groove. The subgroove is axially offset a predetermined amount from a centerline of the fourth circumferential main groove.

Pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 11,679,630
Issued: June 20, 2023
Inventor: Kazuo Shimomura
Assigned: Toyo Tire & Rubber
Key statement: A tire includes a tread portion, a sidewall portion and a bead portion. The bead portion includes a bead core that extends continuously in an annular shape in a tire circumferential direction and a bead filler disposed adjacent to the bead core and outside the bead core in a tire radial direction. Reinforcing cords are provided in the bead portion and the sidewall portion so as to be curved such that inclination angles of the reinforcing cords with respect to the tire circumferential direction gradually increase with nearness to an outside in the tire radial direction.

Sealant-containing tire and related processes
U.S. patent: 11,697,306
Issued: July 11, 2023
Inventors: Brian S. Alexander, Bradley S. Plotner, Ross W. Widenor, Jared J. Griebel and Kung-Ching Liao
Assigned: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations
Key statement: Processes for producing a sealant layer-tire inner liner combination as well as a sealant layer-containing tire and related processes involving the sealant layer-containing tire are disclosed. The sealant layer is adhered to the tire inner liner, has a thickness of 2-8 mm and comprises 100 parts of at least one rubber, 90-500 phr of at least one tackifier, optionally one or more extenders, optionally at least one hydroscopic substance and a cure package.

Rubber compositions with disaggregated carbon nanotubes
U.S. patent: 11,697,728
Issued: July 11, 2023
Inventors: Christopher Pappas and Christophe Chouvel
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: Described are articles including treads and/or other tire components that are formed at least in part by rubber compositions having solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes. Such rubber compositions include a diene rubber component and a solid agglomerated material comprising disaggregated carbon nanotubes that consist of a continuous network of carbon nanotubes that contains 1) voids and 2) aggregates of carbon nanotubes having a mean size d50 of less than 5 μm, the voids and the aggregates together in an amount that is less than 60% of a predetermined surface area, as determined by electron microscopy imagery analysis, the remainder being the disaggregated carbon nanotubes in the continuous network that do not comprise a clearly defined shape.

Tire for a motorcycle
U.S. patent: 11,697,305
Issued: July 11, 2023
Inventor: Kota Tomita
Assigned: Sumitomo Rubber
Key statement: Provided is a tire for a motorcycle having an improved turning stability on wet road surface, the tire comprises a tread composed of a rubber composition, which comes into contact with a road surface, wherein Hs being a rubber hardness and M300 being a tensile stress (MPa) at 300% elongation of the rubber composition of the tread satisfy Equations 1, 2 and 3:
60≤Hs≤80, Equation 1
2≤M300≤12 and Equation 2
(M300 – 2)/(Hs – 60)≤0.75. Equation 3

Methods for treating inner liners, inner liners resulting therefrom and tires containing such inner liners
U.S. patent: 11,697,260
Issued: July 11, 2023
Inventors: Kung-Ching Liao, Jared J. Griebel, Brian S. Alexander, Bradley S. Plotner and Ross W.
Widenor
Assigned: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operationa
Key statement: Methods for treating a cured inner liner as well as treated, cured inner liners resulting from such methods are disclosed. Also disclosed are tires containing the treated inner liners. The methods include treatment of the lower surface of inner liner surface with a rubber-containing liquid to produce a rubber-containing film thereupon.

Rubber composition and a rubber product
U.S. patent: 11,702,533
Issued: July 18, 2023
Inventors: Marc Weydert, Frida Nzulu, Arpan Datta Sarma, Pierre Verge and Daniel Schmidt
Assigned: Goodyear Tire & Rubber and Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
Key statement: The present invention is directed to a rubber composition comprising 100 phr of at least one diene based rubber, 30 phr to 250 phr of at least one filler and 1 phr to 40 phr of an epoxidized and aminated fatty acid ester, wherein the epoxidized and aminated fatty acid ester is obtained from the reaction of an epoxidized fatty acid ester with an aliphatic amine. Furthermore, the present invention is directed to a rubber product, such as a tire, comprising such a rubber
composition.

Tire repair kit system and method
U.S. patent: 11,701,847
Issued: July 18, 2023
Inventor: Yongbo Jiang
Assigned: Rexpair Industry
Key statement: A method for repairing a tire is provided that includes: (a) providing a reamer, a knife, an insertion tool forming a receiving opening, a plugging strip and vulcanizing fluid; (b) inserting the reamer into a puncture hole of a tire to clear debris; (c) applying the vulcanizing fluid; (d) inserting the plugging strip into the insertion tool; (e) inserting the insertion tool with the plugging strip into the puncture hole to cause the plugging strip to fold into the puncture hole mixed with the vulcanizing fluid to bond the plugging strip and the tire; (f) removing the insertion tool from the puncture hole causing a middle portion of the plugging strip to fold internally forming a four-layer seal within the puncture hole; and (g) cutting the plugging strip from the insertion tool and the excess portions of the plugging strip with the knife.

Rubber composition and tire U.S. patent: 11,701,921
Issued: July, 18, 2023
Inventors: Misa Aoki, Seiichi Tahara and Takuya Ogasawara
Assigned: Bridgestone
Key statement: Provided is a rubber composition that achieves both wet performance and low loss property while delivering excellent dry handling performance. A rubber composition comprises: a rubber component; and a styrene-alkylene block copolymer, wherein a total styrene content of the styrene-alkylene block copolymer is 30 mass % or more.

Modified conjugated diene based polymer and rubber composition including the same
U.S. patent: 11,702,485
Issued: July 18, 2023
Inventors: Kyung Chang Seo, Yu Jin Kim, Youk Reol Na and No Ma Kim Assigned: LG Chem
Key statement: A modified conjugated diene based polymer and a rubber composition including the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the modified conjugated diene based polymer includes a modified monomer-derived functional group represented by Formula 1 and an aminoalkoxysilane based modifierderived functional group at least one end thereof, wherein the polymer having a unimodal molecular weight distribution and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 1.0 or more to less than 1.7. The polymer has a narrow and unimodal molecular weight distribution and has excellent tensile properties and viscoelastic properties, while having excellent processability.

Ultra-light graphene-rubber foam particle for soles and method for preparing same
U.S. patent: 11,702,524 Issued: July, 18, 2023
Inventors: Tianning Ding, Decai Ding and Yousi Ding
Key statement: An ultra-light graphene rubber foam particle for soles is prepared from, by weight, 60-65 parts of natural rubber, 8-12 parts of isoprene rubber, 8-12 parts of butadiene rubber, 6-8 parts of styrene butadiene rubber, 0.8-1.0 parts of modified graphene, 0.08-0.12 parts of poly(Nvinylacetamide), 0.8-1.0 parts of silicone oil, 3.0- 3.5 parts of inorganic nano-particles, 1.2-1.5 parts of activated zinc oxide, 0.8-1.0 parts of zinc stearate, 1.0-1.2 parts of stearic acid, 0.8-1.0 parts of crosslinking agents, 2.0-3.0 parts of flow promotors and 1.5-1.8 parts of foaming agents. According to the invention, the modified graphene is uniformly dispersed into the rubber materials, so that the ultra-light graphene-rubber foam particle has good thermal stability, wear resistance and tensile strength, the permanent compressive-deformation performance and thermal contraction resistance are improved, and the weight is reduced by over 50%.