Patent US8944125B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US8944125B2
Active / In Force
US
⏱️ 3.7 years remaining
Tension-based non-pneumatic tire
Assignee: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC
•
Filing: 2010-07-19
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Granted: 2015-02-03
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Expires: 2030-07-19
Abstract
Abstract A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load by working in tension comprising a generally annular inner ring, a generally annular outer ring, and an interconnected web having a plurality of web elements and comprising a plurality of generally polygonal openings. Web elements are sized, curved, oriented, and comprised of varying thicknesses of material which facilitates buckling when subjected to a compressive load. By buckling, those elements in a deformed portion of the tire between a wheel and a footprint region where the tire contacts a surface can assume a significantly reduced portion of the load, if any. This causes web elements in other portions of the interconnected web to operate in tension to support the load.
Inventors
- 👤 Ali Manesh
- 👤 Michael John Tercha
- 👤 Brian Meliska
- 👤 Fidelis Ceranski
- 👤 Glenn Howland
- 👤 Louie Stark
- 👤 Karen Hauch
- 👤 Todd Petersen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 22:25
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60C; B60C7/00; B60C7/10; B60C7/107; B60C7/12; B60C11/00; B60C11/03; B60C11/0311; B60C7/14; B60C7/16; B60C7/18; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T152/00; Y10T152/10; Y10T152/10279; Y10T152/10378
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
89 words
A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load comprising: a generally annular inner ring having an axis of rotation; a deformable generally annular outer ring; and a flexible interconnected web extending between said inner and outer ring, said interconnected web comprising at least one layer of web elements extending between said inner and outer rings, said web elements extending substantially tangential to said inner ring; wherein a substantial amount of said load is supported by a plurality of said web elements in tension along a length of the web elements.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
89 words
A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load comprising: a generally annular inner ring having an axis of rotation; a deformable generally annular outer ring; and a flexible interconnected web extending between said inner and outer ring, said interconnected web comprising at least one layer of web elements extending between said inner and outer rings, said web elements extending substantially tangential to said inner ring; wherein a substantial amount of said load is supported by a plurality of said web elements in tension along a length of the web elements.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein web elements extend at an angle (β) that is equal to or less than plus 5 degrees from a 90 degree angle with respect to a line that extends radially from a center of said inner ring.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein web elements extend at an angle (β) that is equal to or less than plus 2.5 degrees from a 90 degree angle with respect to a line that extends radially from a center of said inner ring.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein web elements extend at an angle (β) that is equal to or less than plus 1 degree from a 90 degree angle with respect to a line that extends radially from a center of said inner ring.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , wherein said tire further comprises an intermediate band between said outer ring and said inner ring.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 5 , wherein a first portion of said web elements extends between the outer ring and said intermediate band; and wherein a second portion of said web elements extends between the inner ring and said intermediate band.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 6 , wherein the first portion of said web elements extends to said intermediate band at an angle substantially tangent to said intermediate band.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 7 , wherein the second portion of said web elements extends towards said inner ring at an angle substantially tangent to said inner ring.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
52 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 1 , further comprising a tread carrying layer affixed to a radially external surface of said outer ring, said tread carrying layer cooperating with the outer ring to support said web elements working in tension, wherein at least 75% of the load is supported in tension.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
91 words
A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load comprising: a generally annular inner ring having an axis of rotation; a deformable generally annular outer ring; and a flexible interconnected web comprising at least two adjacent layers of web elements across the width of the cross-section of said tire, said web elements defining a plurality of openings formed by web elements extending substantially tangent to said inner ring, and a substantial amount of said load is supported by a plurality of said web elements in tension along a length of the web elements.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
91 words
A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load comprising: a generally annular inner ring having an axis of rotation; a deformable generally annular outer ring; and a flexible interconnected web comprising at least two adjacent layers of web elements across the width of the cross-section of said tire, said web elements defining a plurality of openings formed by web elements extending substantially tangent to said inner ring, and a substantial amount of said load is supported by a plurality of said web elements in tension along a length of the web elements.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 10 , wherein said tire further comprises an intermediate band between said outer ring and said inner ring in each layer of web elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 11 , wherein a first portion of said web elements extends between the outer ring and said intermediate band; and wherein a second portion of said web elements extends between the inner ring and said intermediate band.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 12 , wherein said first portion of web elements extends to said intermediate band at an angle substantially tangent to said intermediate band.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
A non-pneumatic tire according to claim 12 , wherein said second portion of web elements extends towards said inner ring at an angle substantially tangent to said inner ring.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2018-02-02 | 2018-08-04 | 2019-02-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2022-02-02 | 2022-08-04 | 2023-02-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2026-02-02 | 2026-08-04 | 2027-02-03 | $7700.00 | Surcharge Window Open |