Patent ID: 7793692

Claim:
A tire tread, the tread having at least one circumferentially extending or laterally extending main groove, the maximum radial depth of the at least one main groove defining a non-skid tread depth, the at least one main groove partially forming at least one tread element, the at least one tread element having a sipe therein, wherein the sipe has a radially outer portion and a radially inner portion and an intermediate portion located therebetween, wherein the intermediate portion has an increasing width transitioning from a width Wo to a width Wi, and wherein the sipe has a length L which extends in the longitudinal direction, the radially outer portion having a width Wo and the radially inner portion has a width Wi, wherein the radially inner portion extends radially outward from a base portion with straight sidewalls having a defined depth D, wherein Wi is greater than Wo, wherein the radially outer portion and the intermediate portion have a undulating profile in the longitudinal direction along the entire length L, wherein the amplitude of the undulating portion of the intermediate portion decreases from the radially outer portion to the radially inner portion and, in a cross section of the tread element parallel to the tread surface, the undulating portion of the intermediate portion has a substantially constant width along the entire length L and the radially inner portion is straight along the longitudinal direction along the entire length L.