Patent ID: 11884108
Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 17:
18. A tire comprising:
a tread portion having a designated mounting direction to a vehicle,
wherein the tread portion comprises an outer tread end located on an outer side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle, an inner tread end located on an inner side of the vehicle when the tire is mounted to the vehicle, four circumferential grooves extending continuously in a tire circumferential direction between the outer tread end and the inner tread end, and five land portions demarcated by the four circumferential grooves,
wherein the four circumferential grooves comprise an outer shoulder circumferential groove closest to the outer tread end when the tire is mounted to the vehicle,
wherein the five land portions comprise an outer shoulder land portion including the outer tread end, and an outer middle land portion adjacent to the outer shoulder land portion via the outer shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein the outer shoulder land portion has a greatest width, in a tire axial direction, of a ground contact surface among the five land portions,
wherein the outer shoulder land portion comprises a plurality of outer shoulder sipes connected to the outer shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein the outer middle land portion comprises a plurality of outer middle sipes connected to the outer shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein each of the outer shoulder sipes and the outer middle sipes comprises a pair of sipe walls,
wherein each of the outer shoulder sipes and the outer middle sipes comprises a body portion in which the pair of sipe walls are disposed substantially parallel to each other,
wherein a width of the body portion of each outer shoulder sipe is greater than a width of the body portion of each outer middle sipe,
wherein each said outer shoulder sipe has an end portion terminating in the outer shoulder land portion without reaching the outer tread end,
wherein the four circumferential grooves further comprise an inner shoulder circumferential groove closest to the inner tread end when the tire is mounted to the vehicle,
wherein the five land portions comprise an inner shoulder land portion including the inner tread end, and an inner middle land portion adjacent to the inner shoulder land portion via the inner shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein the inner shoulder land portion comprises a plurality of inner shoulder sipes connected to the inner shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein the inner middle land portion comprises a plurality of inner middle sipes extending completely across the inner middle land portion in the tire axial direction,
wherein each of the inner shoulder sipes and the inner middle sipes comprises a pair of sipe walls,
wherein each of the inner shoulder sipes and the inner middle sipes comprises a body portion in which the pair of sipe walls are disposed substantially parallel to each other,
wherein a width of the body portion of each inner shoulder sipe is greater than a width of the body portion of each inner middle sipe,
wherein the plurality of land portions comprises an inner shoulder land portion outward of the inner shoulder circumferential groove in a tire axial direction, and an outer shoulder land portion outward of the outer shoulder circumferential groove in the tire axial direction,
wherein the inner shoulder land portion comprises a plurality of inner shoulder lateral grooves and a plurality of inner shoulder sipes,
wherein each said inner shoulder lateral groove extends from an inner end located between the inner tread end and the inner shoulder circumferential groove beyond the inner tread end,
wherein each said inner shoulder sipe extends from the inner shoulder circumferential groove beyond the inner tread end,
wherein the outer shoulder land portion comprises a plurality of outer shoulder lateral grooves and a plurality of outer shoulder sipes,
wherein each said outer shoulder lateral groove extends from the outer shoulder circumferential groove beyond the outer tread end,
wherein each said outer shoulder sipe extends from the outer shoulder circumferential groove and has a terminating end between the outer shoulder circumferential groove and the outer tread end,
wherein each said inner shoulder lateral groove has a first end that ends in the inner shoulder land portion and an auxiliary sipe extends from the first end of the inner shoulder lateral groove and contacts the inner shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein each said outer shoulder lateral groove contacts the outer shoulder circumferential groove,
wherein the inner shoulder lateral grooves and the inner shoulder sipes alternate in the tire circumferential direction, and
wherein the outer shoulder lateral grooves and the outer shoulder sipes alternate in the tire circumferential direction,
wherein the outer middle sipes extend completely across the outer middle land portion in the tire axial direction, and each have a chamfered portion at at least one of sipe edges on both sides, and
wherein the chamfered portion of each said outer middle sipe has a minimum chamfered width at a position distant from circumferential edges on both sides of the outer middle land portion and has a chamfered width that increases from a position having the minimum chamfered width toward both the sides in the tire axial direction.