Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – Anti-skid devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-06
2001-06-26
Maki, Steven D. (Department: 1733)
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
Anti-skid devices
C152S209140, C152S454000, C152S526000, C152S538000, C152S548000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250352
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a motorcycle tire and a method of making the same, more particularly an improved tire profile being capable of improving the rigidity of the tread portion.
Usually, motorcycles are tilted during cornering and a relatively large camber angle is given to the tires.
Therefore, if the rigidity of the tread shoulder regions which come into contact with the ground is low, the road grip decreases. Further, during straight running, especially high speed straight running, the convergence of tire vibrations becomes slow or worse and the straight running stability is deteriorated.
In order to increase the rigidity in the tread shoulder regions, to dispose a reinforcing cord layer in each shoulder region, to use a rigid cord material for a reinforcing cord layer in the shoulder region, and to increase the thickness of the tread rubber in the shoulder regions have been employed. However, satisfactory results can not be obtained, and further, the tire uniformity is liable to be lost and there is danger of ply separation, heat generation and the like.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a motorcycle tire in which the rigidity of the tread portion is optimized to improve tire performance such as straight running stability, cornering grip and the like without disposing any additional reinforcement.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a method of making such a motorcycle tire.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion with a pair of tread edges, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions with a bead core therein, a carcass ply of cords arranged radially at an angle of 70 to 90 degrees to the tire equator, a belt ply of at least one cord laid at an angle of 0 to 35 degrees disposed radially outside the carcass ply and inside the tread portion, characterize in that the tread portion has a profile such that, when the tire is mounted on a standard rim and inflated from 10% of a standard inner pressure to 100% thereof, the tread portion swells such that the amount of swelling is larger in a shoulder region than a crown region of the tread portion.
Here, the standard rim is a rim officially approved for the tire by, for example JATMA (Japan and Asia), T&RA (North America), ETRTO (Europe), STRO (Scandinavia) and the like. The standard inner pressure is the maximum air pressure for the tire officially specified by such organization.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making the motorcycle tire comprises the steps of putting a raw tire in a mold and vulcanizing the tire in the mold, and the mold having a vulcanizing profile such that
a bead width BW′ is 15 to 45 mm wider than the rim width RW of the standard rim,
a tread width TW′ which is 5 to 25 mm wider than the width TW, and
a tread edge height TH′ which is 3 to 15 mm higher than the tread edge height TH under 100% of the standard inner pressure.
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Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 018, No. 231 (M-1599), Apr. 27, 1994 & JP 06 024207 A (Sumitomo Rubber Ind Ltd), Feb. 1, 1994 *Abstract; Figures 1, 2*.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 010, No. 163 (M-487), Jun. 11, 1986 & JP 61 016105 A (Sumitomo Gomu Kogyo KK), Jan. 24, 1986 *Abstract; Figure 1*.
Maki Steven D.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.
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