Patent ID: 7625965

Claim:
A rubber composition comprising: (a) at least one rubber component; (b) at least one silane-reactive filler; (c) optionally, at least one activating agent; and, (d) at least one hydrolyzable silane of the general Formula (1): [X 1 X 2 X 3 Si—] d (G) a [—Y—(CR 3-e -Z e ) b ] c (1) wherein each occurrence of X 1 is independently selected from a hydrolyzable group consisting of Cl—, Br—, I—, R 1 O—, R 1 (═O)O—, R 1 2 C═NO—, and R 1 2 NO—, wherein each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, straight, cyclic or branched alkyl, alkenyl, aryl and aralkyl groups wherein each R 1 , other than hydrogen, contains from 1 to 18 carbon atoms and optionally at least one heteroatom selected from the group consisting of oxygen and sulfur; each occurrence of X 2 and X 3 is independently selected from X 1 and R 2 — groups wherein each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl and aralkyl groups wherein each R 2 , other than hydrogen, contains from 1 to 18 carbon atoms and optionally at least one heteroatom selected from the group consisting of oxygen and sulfur; each occurrence of G is independently a divalent or polyvalent hydrocarbon group of from 1 to 18 carbon atoms that can optionally contain at least one heteroatom selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, phosphorous and silicon; each occurrence of Y is independently an unsaturated group; each occurrence of Z is independently a halogen atom selected from the groups consisting of F—, Cl—, Br—and I—; each occurrence of R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl or aralkyl wherein each R, other than hydrogen, contains from 1 to 30 carbon atoms; and each occurrence of subscripts a, b and c are integers independently given by a is 1; b is an integer of from 1 to about 5; c is an integer of from 1 to 3, with the provisos that when a is zero, c is 1, and when a is 1, c is an integer of from 1 to 3; d is an integer of from 1 to 5 and e is an integer of from 1 to 3.