Patent ID: 7322390
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: B60C

Abstract:
1. A pneumatic tire having a tread surface having a direction of rotation of the tire which is specified in one direction, the tread surface having a center region which includes at least one first circumferential groove extending in a circumferential direction of the tire on one side of a centerline of the tire, first lateral grooves which extend outwardly in a widthwise direction of the tire from the first circumferential groove so as to incline towards a direction of reverse rotation of the tire being disposed at predetermined intervals in the tire circumferential direction, blocks which have obtuse-angled corner portions and acute-angled corner portions being defined by the first circumferential groove and the first lateral grooves, wherein groove wall surfaces located on both sides of the obtuse-angled corner portion of each of the blocks facing to the first circumferential groove are inclined such that the inclination angles thereof are gradually greater towards the obtuse-angled corner portion and are maximum at the obtuse-angled corner portion, wherein the at least one first circumferential groove comprises two first circumferential grooves, each first circumferential groove being provided on each side of the tire centerline, a second circumferential groove which extends in the tire circumferential direction being disposed at a location that defines the center region and each of shoulder regions of the tread surface, the first lateral grooves being in communication with the second circumferential groove, the blocks being defined by the first and second circumferential grooves and the first lateral grooves in the center region of the tread surface and each having a diagonal pair of obtuse-angles corner portions and a diagonal pair of acute-angled corner portions, wherein each of the first circumferential grooves is composed of a plurality of circularly curved groove portions which extend in the tire circumferential direction, the groove portions being convex towards the tire centerline and connected to one another.