Patents for March 2026
Coupling system for silica containing rubber compounds
U.S. patent: 12,371,548
Issued: July 29, 2025
Inventors: Yuan-Yong Yan, Justin Yinket Che, Eric Sean Castner and Paul Harry Sandstrom
Assigned: Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Key statement: A sulfur vulcanizable rubber compound comprises a silane functionalized diene elastomer, a dual silane coupling system and a silica filler. The non-active sulfur containing silane coupling agent excludes an active sulfur moiety. The rubber compound is a reaction product of a siloxyl condensation reaction between the silane functionalized diene elastomer and the dual silane coupling system. The dual coupling system comprises a non-active sulfur containing silane coupling agent for reacting with an associated precipitated silica to produce a hydrophobic silica; and a crosslinking reagent for reacting with the non-active sulfur containing silane coupling agent and an associated polymer.
Rubber reinforcing material with reduced weight, method of preparing the same and tire comprising the same
U.S. patent: 12,370,784
Issued: July 29, 2025
Inventors: Sang Woo Lee, Ok Hwa Jeon, Min Ho Lee and Sung Gyu Lee
Assigned: Kolon Industries
Key statement: This invention relates to rubber reinforcing material with reduced weight, a method for preparing the same and a tire including the same. According to this invention, there is provided a rubber reinforcing material that has a thin thickness and light weight and yet has excellent durability. The reinforcing material not only reduces the weight of a tire, but also enables realization of improved rolling resistance.
Tire tread rubber composition and related methods
U.S. patent: 12,371,552
Issued: July 29, 2025
Inventors: Dennis C. Boley, Kenny L. Howman, Benjamin C. Galizio, Jamie L. Whyte, Jessica L. Placke and Anthony M. Unger
Assigned: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations
Key statement: Disclosed herein are tire tread rubber compositions comprising a specified elastomer component, reinforcing silica filler, a specified hydrocarbon resin, liquid plasticizer and a cure package. The elastomer component includes styrene butadiene rubber; polybutadiene and natural rubber, polyisoprene, or a combination thereof. Also disclosed are methods for providing a tire tread having improved dry handling performance while maintaining wet traction performance and wear.
Rubber composition
U.S. patent: 12,371,523
Issued: July 29, 2025
Inventors: Jose-Carlos Araujo Da Silva and Frederic Lemerle
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A rubber composition having an adhesion to a composition based on natural rubber, the composition being at least based on 5 to 95 phr of polyisoprene comprising a content by weight of 1,4-cis bonds of at least 90% of the weight of the polyisoprene; 5 to 95 phr of copolymer of ethylene and of a 1,3-diene of formula CH2═CR—CH═CH2, the ethylene units in the copolymer representing more than 50 mol % of the monomer units of the copolymer, the symbol R representing a hydrocarbon chain having 3 to 20 carbon atoms; and a crosslinking system. Also disclosed is a tire, in particular a tire provided with a sidewall, comprising this composition.
Tire tread rubber composition
U.S. patent: 12,370,830
Issued: July 29, 2025
Inventors: Anthony M. Coffman and Benjamin C. Galizio
Assigned: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations
Key statement: Disclosed herein are tire tread rubber compositions comprising a specified elastomer component, reinforcing silica filler, a specified hydrocarbon resin, oil and a cure package. The elastomer component includes styrene butadiene rubber; polybutadiene; and natural rubber, polyisoprene, or a combination thereof.
Silicone elastomer compositions
U.S. patent: 12,378,443
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventors: Elizabeth M Santos, Eric Joffre, Devin Ferguson, Dongchan Ahn and Scott D. Boelter
Assigned: Dow Silicones
Key statement: There is provided curable silicone elastomer compositions having enhanced adhesive properties with respect to a wide variety of substrates. The curable silicone elastomer compositions described herein are provided with a phenylmethylpolysiloxane based additive which comprises at least one, alternatively at least two Si—H groups per molecule and at least one, alternatively at least two anhydride functional groups per molecule. Said phenylmethylpolysiloxane based additives provide resulting elastomers with improved heat humidity stabilization.
Silicone elastomer compositions and elastomeric materials
U.S. patent: 12,378,413
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventors: Shaohui Wang, Yusheng Chen, Rui Wang, Hans Peter Wolf and Mark D. Fisher
Assigned: Dow Silicones
Key statement: Provided herein is a self- lubricating silicone elastomer composition and a self-lubricating, elastomeric material made therefrom which has a low coefficient of friction and avoids the need for “self-bleeding.” The self-lubricating silicone elastomer composition comprises: (i) 50 to 75% by weight of one or more polydiorganosiloxane polymer(s) containing from 0.01 to 0.1% by weight of alkenyl and/or alkynyl content; (ii) 3 to 15% by weight of a polydiorganosiloxane polymer having ≥0.5% by weight of alkenyl or alkynyl content; (iii) 10 to 35% by weight of reinforcing filler; and either or both of (iv) a peroxide catalyst; or (v) a hydrosilylation catalyst package.
Synthetic rubber composition for solid molds
U.S. patent: 12,378,399
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventor: Jeffrey Wang
Key statement: The compositions herein are directed to a rubber composition, which contains a polymer crosslinked with methacrylate and polyacrylate, a polysaccharide or gum and a cellulose base for filling molds.
Rubber composition
U.S. patent: 12,378,335
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventors: Emma Moreso and José-Carlos Araujo Da Silva
Assigned: Michelin
Key statement: A rubber composition which comprises a reinforcing filler, a crosslinking system and more than 50 to 100 phr of an elastomer which is a copolymer of ethylene and of a 1,3-diene CH2═CR—CH═CH2, the symbol R representing a hydrocarbon chain having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms. The rubber composition has a good compromise between the stiffness and hysteresis properties.
Pneumatic tire
U.S. patent: 12,377,681
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventor: Keisuke Murase
Assigned: Yokohama Rubber
Key statement: A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion composed of a tread rubber composition containing silica. The pneumatic tire exhibits improved processability over time without negatively affecting the wet grip properties and rolling resistance of the tread rubber composition. The tread portion includes a tread rubber composition including: 50 parts by mass to 90 parts by mass of silica, per 100 parts by mass of diene rubber containing 30 mass % to 90 mass % of a terminal modified diene rubber; an alkylsilane; a fatty acid metal salt containing an alkali metal element; and a fatty acid ester; and by further compounding, at an amount of 5 mass % to 12 mass % with respect to the silica amount, a sulfur containing silane coupling agent not containing a mercapto group.
Apparatus, system and method for producing and positioning multi-tire structural features
U.S. patent: 12,384,069
Issued: August 12, 2025
Inventor: Nicholas R. Bechen
Key statement: A system for producing and positioning multi-tire structural features is disclosed. The system includes a construction vehicle, an actuatable arm extending from the construction vehicle and a grasper coupled to a distal end of the actuatable arm. The gasper includes a first moving member and a second moving member that are configured to be actuated toward one another when the first moving member is disposed within a first tire and the second moving member is disposed within a second tire. The first moving member comprises a staple driver that is configured to release and force a staple through tire walls of the first and second tires and the second moving member comprises a staple fastener that is configured to at least partially close the staple after the staple penetrates the tire walls of the first and second tires in order to fasten the first and second tires together.
Tire
U.S. patent: 12,377,687
Issued: August 5, 2025
Inventor: Bernard Killingbeck
Assigned: Rise Technologies
Key statement: A tire comprising an adaptive tread, the adaptive tread comprising a plurality of surface sections, wherein each surface section can move without deformation relative to the other surface sections to form a tread pattern.
Preparation method of rubber powder-sediment-fly ash artificial fine aggregate
U.S. patent: 12,384,720
Issued: August 12, 2025
Inventors: Hailong Wang and Xiaoxiao Wang
Assigned: Inner Mongolia Agricultural University
Key statement: A preparation method of a rubber powder-sediment-fly ash artificial fine aggregate is provided. The rubber powder-sediment-fly ash artificial fine aggregate is prepared by a rolling and compression granulator through layer-by-layer coating of a rubber powder, a canal sediment and a hydraulic material. The compact arrangement and aggregation are achieved for an artificial aggregate by applying a pressure to improve the compactness of the aggregate. In addition, an aggregate is cured through a multi-stage high temperature treatment and carbon dioxide air-cooling to further improve the compactness and strength of the aggregate. When the artificial fine aggregate is used as a fine aggregate, solid wastes can be reasonably utilized under the premise of meeting quality standards, which is of great practical significance for protecting the ecological environment and promoting the sustainable development of the sand and gravel industry.