Patents for September
Patent News as compile by the editors of Rubber World Magazine for September 2023.
Rubber vulcanization processes employing an eutectic mixture
U.S. patent: 11,667,774
Issued: June 6, 2023
Inventors: Erin Sheepwash, Julia A. Dart and Michael C. Davis
Assigned: Bridgestone
Key statement: A process for preparing a rubber vulcanizate, the process comprising (i) providing a vulcanizable composition of matter including a sulfur-based curative, zinc oxide and a eutectic solvent; and (ii) heating the vulcanizable composition to thereby effect vulcanization.
Tread for a pneumatic tire and a pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 11,667,159
Issued: June 6, 2023
Inventors: Giuseppe Rodriquez and Beatrice Mellara
Assigned: Bridgestone Europe
Key statement: Tread for a pneumatic tire comprising a sipe having a sipe extension (L) and a sipe depth (P) along a direction of wear (U), wherein said sipe has at least two sections (S1, S2) along said direction of wear (U) having respective differentiated conformations, such that an intersection profile (P1, P2)
between the sipe and a surface (T1, T2) parallel to the contact surface of the tread is different for each of said at least two sections (S1, S2), wherein at least one surface section (S1) of said at least two sections (S1, S2) has a depth (PS) that is variable along said sipe extension (L), said two sections (S1, S2) being
connected by a transition section (S3) defining a transition line (TL) between the respective sections (S1, S2), said variable depth (PS) of said surface section, presenting a maximum depth (PSMAX) and a minimum depth (PSMIN) and wherein the surface section (SI) has a twisted configuration.
Thermoplastic elastomer compounds exhibiting improved stain resistance
U.S. patent: 11,667,785
Issued: June 6, 2023
Inventors: Liang Xu and Christopher Engel
Assigned: Avient
Key statement: A thermoplastic elastomer compound includes acrylic block copolymer and functionalized polysiloxane. Polymeric articles formed from the thermoplastic elastomer compound can have improved stain resistance, while also achieving other desirable properties such as low tackiness (i.e., low coefficient
of friction) and good clarity (i.e., low haze).
Styrene butadiene rubber latex com- positions and methods for making and using same
U.S. patent: 11,674,059
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventors: Lawrence Douglas Harris and Willie C. Burton
Assigned: Lion Copolymers
Key statement: Disclosed herein are styrene butadiene rubber latex compositions with high solids content and methods for making and using these compositions. The method for making the styrene butadiene rubber latex compositions can include mixing a seed, a styrene, an initiator, a base, a surfactant and a solvent; adding a first portion of 1,3-butadiene to make a first reaction mixture; heating the first reaction mixture for a first reaction time to make a first styrene butadiene rubber latex; mixing the first styrene butadiene rubber latex, a styrene, a base, an initiator, a surfactant and a solvent; adding a second portion of 1,3-butadiene to make a second reaction mixture; and heating the second reaction mixture for a second reaction time to make a second styrene butadiene rubber latex, where the second styrene butadiene rubber latex has a sol- ids content higher than that of the first styrene butadiene
rubber latex.
Apparatus and method for deter- mining aircraft tire pressure
U.S. patent: 11,667,162
Issued: June 6, 2023
Inventor: Anand Puntambekar
Assigned: Airbus SAS
Key statement: An apparatus configured to determine the pressure of an aircraft tire at a reference temperature. The apparatus includes a processing system configured to: obtain a measured tire pressure and a measured temperature associated with the measured tire pressure; and determine a tire pressure at the reference temperature by adjusting the measured tire pressure using a predetermined temperature characteristic, a square root of the measured temperature and a square root of the reference temperature. The predetermined temperature characteristic is a gradient of the relationship between the square root of temperature and tire pressure.
Dielectric elastomer precursor fluid, preparation method therefor and use thereof, dielectric elastomer
composite material, flexible device and light emitting device
U.S. patent: 11,674,076
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventors: Shiping Zhu, Changgeng Zhang, Lei Shi and Qi Zhang
Assigned: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
Key statement: The present disclosure relates to the field of dielectric elastomers. In particular, provided are a dielectric elastomer precursor fluid, a preparation method therefor and the use thereof, a dielectric elastomer composite material, a flexible device and a light-emitting device. The dielectric elastomer precursor fluid comprises an elastomer matrix, an ionic liquid and a solvent, wherein the volume fraction of the ionic liquid and the solvent is 5-45%. The dielectric elastomer precursor fluid has the advantages of a high conductivity, a high transparency and a good fluidity, and is beneficial for preparing a dielectric elastomer composite material having a high dielectric constant, a low elastic modulus and a high optical transparency, thus fully solving the problem that a high dielectric constant cannot be balanced with a low elastic modulus and a high optical transparency in a dielectric elastomer.
Short interconnect assembly with strip elastomer
U.S. patent: 11,674,977
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventors: Wei Kuong Foong, Kok Sing Goh, Shamal Mundiyath, Eng Kiat Lee and Grace Ann Nee Yee
Assigned: JF Microtechnology SDN, BHD
Key statement: An electrical contact assembly that uses an elastomer strip for each row of individual contacts. Each contact comprises a rigid bottom pin and a flexible top pin with a pair of arms which extend over and slide along sloped concave surfaces of the bottom contact. The elastomer strip is located between rows of the bottom and top pins. A bottom socket housing is provided with grooves which receive each elastomer strip. A row of top pins is then placed over each elastomer strip and through ducts in the bottom socket housing. Bottom pins are then snapped into place in between the pair of arms.
Vehicle tire inflation system
U.S. patent: 11,673,433
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventor: Jeff Choizi
Key statement: The vehicle tire inflation system comprises an air jacket and an air hose. The air jacket may reside within a wheel of a vehicle and may be mounted to the inside of a rim of the wheel. The air jacket may determine that a tire of the wheel has at least partially deflated by sensing that tire pressure within the wheel has dropped below a first pressure thresh- old. The air jacket may release compressed air within the wheel until the air jacket senses that the tire pressure has reached a second pressure threshold such that the tire may be reinflated. The air hose may be configured to couple the air jacket to a tire pressure monitoring system such that the air jacket has access to an external air supply located outside of the wheel via the tire pressure monitoring system.
Molding method for producing a stator for a screw drilling tool using elastomer material
U.S. patent: 11,673,297
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventors: Dingyu Guo, Hongrui Zhang, Minghui Zhu, Yiran Liu, Zhuanrui Liu, Paul Kwong Shun Cheung
and Xiaobo Liu
Assigned: Shanghai Pujia Drilling Technology
Key statement: A molding method for producing a screw drill stator using an elastomer material includes: S1. sequentially roughening, cleaning and drying an inner surface of the stator tube; mixing an adhesive and a diluent, coating the mixture obtained on the inner surface and heating it for later use; S2, uniformly coating a mold release agent on a surface of a mandrel mold and heating or drying it naturally for later use; S3. assembling the processed stator tube and the processed mandrel mold to obtain an assembled mold; S4. performing a vacuum defoaming under negative pressure on a mixture obtained by uniformly mixing a prepolymer of the elastomer material with a defoaming agent; S5. uniformly mixing the defoamed pre- polymer of the elastomer material with a curing agent and pouring the obtained mixture into the assembled mold, sealing and curing the poured assembled mold by hierarchical heating to obtain the stator.
Tire provided with an outer sidewall comprising a liquid plasticizer having a low glass transition
temperature
U.S. patent: 11,674,019
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventor: Christophe Chouvel
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A tire is provided with an external sidewall, said external sidewall comprising a composition based on at least one elastomeric matrix comprising at least one diene elastomer selected from the group consisting of butadiene polymers having a glass transition temperature of less than or equal to -50°C and a thermoplastic elastomer comprising at least one elastomer block and at least one thermoplastic block, the thermoplastic elastomer not comprising a polyisobutylene block; a liquid plasticizer exhibiting a glass transition temperature of less than -70°C; a crosslinking system; and a reinforcing filler.
Piece of jewelry made of natural elastomer material
U.S. patent: 11,672,313
Issued: June 13, 2023
Inventors: Nicolas Francois, Julien Dahan and Gregory Kissling
Assigned: Swatch Group Research and Development
Key statement: A piece of jewelry made of a natural elastomer composite material, wherein the natural elastomer composite material includes a natural elastomer matrix wherein between 0% and 6% cellulose fibers, between 0 and 5% anti-odor agents and between 0 and 30% silica are dispersed.
Rubber composition
U.S. patent: 11,680,153
Issued: June 20, 2023
Inventors: Suk Youn Kang, Jin Sook Ryu, Kyoung Hwan Oh and Jeong Heon Ahn
Assigned: LG Chem
Key statement: The present invention relates to a rubber composition having excellent tensile properties and viscoelasticity properties and including a conjugated diene based polymer. The rubber composition may include a modified conjugated diene-based polymer which is selected considering target tensile properties and viscoelasticity properties, by predicting in advance the correlation between the modification ratio of the modified conjugated diene-based polymer and the dynamic viscoelasticity loss coefficient at 60°C of the rubber composition through Mathematical Formula 1 and Mathematical Formula 2. Therefore, excellent compounding properties may be shown.
Non-pneumatic tire having block type reinforcement
U.S. patent: 11,679,627
Issued: June 20, 2023
Inventors: Jeong Mu Heo, Chang Young Sohn and Seok Ju Choi
Assigned: Hankook Tire & Technology
Key statement: A non-pneumatic tire having a block type reinforcement configuration includes: a tread unit that forms an outer portion of the tire and comes in contact with a road surface; a wheel unit that is connected to an axle; a spoke unit that is formed between the tread unit and the wheel unit; and a block type reinforcement unit that includes a block formed inside the tread unit in the circumferential direction of the tread unit and a plurality of reinforcing members formed in the block to correspond to the shape of the block.
Rubber composition for a tire tread
U.S. patent: 11,685,821
Issued: June 27, 2023
Inventor: Tenko Hayashi
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A tire has a tread comprising a rubber composition based on at least an elastomer matrix, a reinforcing filler comprising between 65 and 115 phr of a reinforcing inorganic filler, more than 30 phr of a plasticizing agent and more than 5 phr of crumb rubber particles having a median particle size by volume, which is measured by laser diffraction methods in accordance with ISO standard 13320-1, which satisfy the following relations: 100 μm<D50<1,000 μm, wherein D50 is the medium particle size by volume corresponding to 50% of a cumulative distribution obtained from the volume particle size distribution.