Patent ID: 8794284
Filing Date: 2014-08-05
Classification: B60C

Abstract:
1. A pneumatic tire comprising: a tread portion extending in a tire circumferential direction; and a pair of sidewall sections disposed on both sides of the tread portion, respectively, with regard to a tire width direction, at least one of the sidewall sections including a surface pattern region comprising a plurality of minute regions that are arranged along the tire circumferential direction and in a tire radial direction, the minute regions being visually distinguishable from surrounding regions due to a light reflection characteristic or an unevenness of a sidewall surface, the minute regions being configured such that width dimensions along the tire circumferential direction of adjacent ones of the minute regions that are juxtaposed with respect to one another along the tire circumferential direction varying among at least three different width sizes, and the minute regions being arranged in order of size such that the width dimensions of adjacent minute regions vary continuously or in steps along the tire circumferential direction, the adjacent minute regions of the surface pattern region being juxtaposed next to each other at at least three differently sized intervals, and the adjacent minute regions being separated from one another along the tire circumferential direction such that the at least three differently sized intervals vary continuously or in steps along the tire circumferential direction; the adjacent minute regions are arranged in order of size along the tire circumferential direction such that sizes of the adjacent minute regions vary periodically at a prescribed period and sizes of the intervals between adjacent minute regions vary at the prescribed period, and a phase at which the sizes of adjacent minute regions vary and a phase at which the intervals vary are equal; and positions of the adjacent minute regions along the tire radial direction vary periodically in accordance with a period at which the sizes of adjacent minute regions vary and at which the three or more intervals between adjacent minute regions vary.