Bridgestone/firestone, Inc.

The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC

Bridgestone/firestone Research, Inc.

Bill J Wallet

John J Regallis

Joseph F Molnar

James G Guspodin

Nobuo Shimizu

Andrew T Miklic

Jeffrey D Parker

Timothy J Lassan

Keith A Dumigan

Bradley J Wurst

Dennis W Krupa

Ronald I Clunk

A Robert Casimiro

Yasuo Himuro

David M Reep

Timothy F Robinson

Shawn L Copeland

Fred J Cusimano, Ii

Yukio Yamakawa

Yaso Himuro

Eric J Van Fossen

Michael J Ferraco

Karen J Carney

Christopher Kocaj

Michael E Martini

A non directional pneumatic tire is provided for an agricultural irrigation system. The tire includes first and second side walls and a radially outer wall defining an internal inflation chamber. A non directional tread pattern is defined on the tire and includes a plurality of longitudinal protrusions positioned substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the tire. The longitudinal protrusions are arranged in first and second rows extending from the first and second side walls toward and across the equatorial plane of the tire. The longitudinal protrusions of the first and second rows circumferentially alternate with each other and there is a circumferential spacing between adjacent longitudinal protrusions at the equatorial plane so that no portion of one longitudinal protrusion circumferentially coincides with or overlaps another.

Irrigation tire

Tire tread

An apparatus for enhancing the light reflective properties of a sidewall of a pneumatic tire. The tire may include a pair of sidewalls radially extending from a central axis of rotation of the tire. The sidewalls may include an inner diameter and an outer diameter defining an external surface. At least one of the sidewalls may include an annular band formed on the external surface of the sidewall. The annular band may include a pair of spaced apart band edge surfaces, each including a first edge and a sinusoidal second edge that may help to reduce sidewall undulations and enhance the reflective properties of the sidewall, so that indicia formed on the annular band may be legible to a viewer. Additionally, the sidewalls may also include any type of indicia.

Apparatus for enhancing light reflective properties of tire sidewalls

A tire tread has a total of four circumferential ribs and three circumferential grooves. The four ribs include two intermediate ribs and two outer ribs, and the three grooves include a center groove and two outer grooves. The two intermediate ribs are between the center groove and the two outer grooves, and the outer ribs are on the opposite sides of the outer grooves from the intermediate ribs. Rib cross slots and cross sipes extend outwardly from the outer grooves into the intermediate and outer ribs in herringbone patterns. The cross slots and cross sipes extend less than the full width of the ribs to provide the intermediate ribs with circumferential inner portions adjacent the center groove that are devoid of cross slots. These circumferential inner portions of the intermediate ribs have a plurality of circumferentially-spaced cross sipes that do not intersect the center groove. The rib cross slots are circumferentially-spaced a plurality of different distances to define a plurality of rib blocks having different lengths. Shorter rib blocks have a single cross sipe and longer rib blocks have double cross sipes. Shoulder cross slots intermediate the cross slots in the outer ribs overlap the outer rib cross slots by 25-35% of the outer rib cross slot length. The rib and shoulder cross slots have sloping closed end surfaces that intersect the outer surface of the tread at an angle of 35-42.degree.. Shoulder and outer rib cross sipes that are positioned opposite from the rib and shoulder cross slots do not intersect or overlap the rib or shoulder cross slots.

Tire having improved wet stopping capability

Tire Tread

Growing community of inventors

Marshallville, OH, United States of America

Bill J Wallet