Patents for December

Patent as compiled from the USPTO in December

Method of improving pneumatic tire vibration characteristics
U.S. patent: 11,148,486
Issued: October 19, 2021
Inventors: Arne Boden, David Scott Rohweder and Arne Heyden
Assigned: Ford Global Technologies
Key statement: A method for designing a pneumatic tire to have improved vibration characteristics.
Dynamic testing of the tire detects a) respective frequencies of a plurality of radial vibration modes of the tire and b) respective frequencies of a plurality of torsional vibration modes of the tire. The testing may determine that a first interval between the frequency of an even-numbered radial vibration mode and the frequency of an even-numbered torsional vibration mode is less than a first threshold and/or may determine that a second interval between the frequency of an odd-numbered radial vibration mode and the frequency of an odd-numbered torsional vibration mode is less than a second threshold. One or more design parameter of the tire is/are modified to increase at least one of first interval and the second interval to the respective first or second threshold.

Tire sealant composition
U.S. patent: 11,161,312
Issued: November 2, 2021
Inventors: Amy M. Randall, Ludovica Caliano, Benjamin C. Galizio, Raffaele di Ronza, Claudia Aurisicchio and Giuseppe Pezzullo
Assigned: Bridgestone Americas
Key statement: Disclosed herein are a sealant composition for use with tires, a tire having at least one component with at least one surface at least partially coated with the sealant composition, and related methods for applying the sealant composition to tires. The sealant composition comprises biorubber and a softener comprising at least one of plant oil or plant resin and has a non-petroleum content of at least 70% by weight.

Rubber composition comprising a specific reinforcing filler
U.S. patent: 11,161,962
Issued: November 2, 2021
Inventors: Joel Barbouteau, Auriane Frisch, Kazuhide Mima and Natsuko Shiozawa
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A rubber composition has an improved rolling resistance and is based on at least a diene elastomer comprising mainly at least one isoprene elastomer; a reinforcing filler comprising from 15 to 70 phr of carbon black having a BET specific surface area of less than 70 m2/g and/ or a COAN of less than 90 ml/100 g, and from 5 to 20 phr of silica; a salt of an alkaline-earth, alkali or lanthanide metal; and a crosslinking system; in which composition the carbon black to silica ratio is greater than 1.

Device for evaluating tire rolling resistance
U.S. patent: 11,162,872
Issued: November 2, 2021
Inventor: Toru Okada
Assigned: Kobe Steel
Key statement: A device for evaluating tire rolling resistance, the device includes: load rolls having surfaces that simulate a road surface on which a tire is to travel; a moving mechanism; a load sensor; a position sensor; a phase difference calculation unit; and a rolling resistance evaluation unit. The load rolls are two or more load rolls disposed side by side and are smaller in diameter than the tire.

Tire tread with reduced rolling resistance
U.S. patent: 11,167,595
Issued: November 9, 2021
Inventor: Jeffrey P. Smith
Assigned: Paccar
Key statement: A tire comprising a plurality of tread blocks. At least one tread block includes one or more piers for stiffening the tread blocks while allowing normal lateral (tangential) or circumferential strain for normal braking and motive traction. The piers can extend the entire length dimension of the tread block or portions thereof.

Rubber composition comprising a specific crumb rubber
U.S. patent: 11,155,701
Issued: October 26, 2021
Inventors: Damien Thomasson and Olivia Cuscito
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A rubber composition is based on at least an elastomer, a reinforcing filler and a crosslinking system and a crumb rubber, said crumb having a particle size distribution such that it comprises less than 35% by weight of particles having a size of less than 50 μm and less than 30% by weight of particles having a size of greater than 200 μm.

Functionalized resin for tire applications
U.S. patent: 11,168,168
Issued: November 9, 2021
Inventors: Ranjan Tripathy, Jason A. Mann and Edward J. Blok
Assigned: ExxonMobil Chemical
Key statement: This invention relates to a silane-functionalized resin composition having a polymer backbone, wherein the polymer backbone is selected from at least one of C5 homopolymers and copolymer resins, terpene homopolymer or copolymer resins, pinene homopolymer or copolymer resins, C9 homopolymers and copolymer resins, C5/C9 copolymer resins, alphamethylstyrene homopolymer or copolymer resins and combinations thereof, and wherein the polymer backbone is substantially free of styrene copolymer; and a silane, where the ratio of the mole percent of the silane to the mole percent of the polymer backbone in the composition is in the amount of 0.04 to 3.0 as determined by H-NMR.

Production process of rubber composition
U.S. patent: 11,168,184
Issued: November 9, 2021
Inventors: Koichiro Tani, Ryota Funaki, Rikimaru Kuwabara, Hiroyuki Morita and Takaomi Matsumoto
Assigned: JSR
Key statement: A production process of a rubber composition containing a modified conjugated dienebased polymer, which can provide a rubber composition in which processability is excellent and a filling agent, when contained, has favorable dispersibility therein. The production process of the rubber composition includes: a first step of kneading a modified conjugated diene-based polymer that is obtained by polymerizing a monomer containing a conjugated diene compound and has at least one nitrogencontaining functional group selected from a primary amino group, a secondary amino group, a tertiary amino group and groups in which these amino groups have been converted into an onium group and a basic compound having an acid dissociation constant of 8.0 or more; and a second step of kneading the kneaded product obtained in the first step and a crosslinking agent.

Tire for motorcycle for uneven ground traveling
U.S. patent: 11,167,599
Issued: November 9, 2021
Inventor: Shohei Yamazoe
Assigned: Sumitomo Rubber
Key statement: Provided is a tire for a motorcycle for uneven ground traveling capable of continuously exhibiting good grip performance. The tire for a motorcycle for uneven ground traveling includes a tread part on which plural crown blocks are formed and at least one of the crown blocks has a wheel tread, a first side surface, a first edge arranged between the wheel tread and the first side surface, a concave part that opens on the wheel tread and the first side surface and a second edge arranged between the wheel tread and the concave part. The wheel tread has at least one external corner part in which an angle between the first edge and the second edge is an acute angle.

Rubber composition and tire
U.S. patent: 11,168,197
Issued: November 9, 2021
Inventors: Satoshi Hamatani and Hidenobu Akahane
Assigned: Bridgestone
Key statement: A rubber composition that is capable of providing vulcanized rubber excellent in the abrasion resistance without the deterioration of the crack resistance and the low heat generation property is provided. The rubber composition contains: (A) a rubber component; (B) carbon black having a CTAB specific surface area of 110 to 160 m2/g, a half value width ΔD50 of a peak including a Stokes equivalent diameter Dst obtained by a centrifugal sedimentation method of 60 nm or less, and ΔD50/Dst of 0.95 or less; and (C) silica having a CTAB specific surface area of 200 m2/g or more, has a total amount of a content (b) of the carbon black (B) and a content (c) of the silica (C) of 30 to 80 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component (A), and has (b)/(c) of (60 to 85)/(40 to 15).

Tread rubber composition and pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 11,174,375
Issued: November 16, 2021
Inventor: Kenya Watanabe
Assigned: Sumitomo Rubber
Key statement: Provided are a tread rubber composition which provides a balanced improvement in wet grip performance and resistance to low temperature brittleness, and a pneumatic tire including a tread at least partially containing the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a tread rubber composition containing a styrene- butadiene rubber and having a tan δ peak temperature of -10°C or higher and a brittleness temperature of -4°C or lower.