Appeal No. 1999-1835
Application No. 08/654,976
which is the only other pending claim, has been allowed.
(Appeal brief, page 1; examiner's answer, page 2.)
The subject matter on appeal relates to a studless
pneumatic tire. Regarding the appealed subject matter, the
appellants allege:
An object of the embodiments of the invention is to
provide a studless pneumatic tire which maintains the
stiffness of island portions even when many sipes are
formed, thereby providing improved driving stability
and performance of the tire on icy roads while
preventing island portions from being chipped.
(Appeal brief, page 2.) Further details of this appealed
subject matter are recited in illustrative claims 5, 8, 10, and
13 reproduced below:
5. A studless pneumatic tire having a plurality
of block-shaped island portions formed on a
cylindrical tread extending between a pair of
sidewalls, said island portions having laterally
extending sipes and being separated by a plurality of
main grooves extending in the circumferential
direction as well as by many lug grooves, wherein each
island portion comprises:
a first sipe which has an extension segment
extending from a first lateral end of said island
portion facing a first main groove and traversing a
first edge region and a central region of said island
portion in a substantially axial direction, and a
return segment whose tip is turned back at a second
interface between the central region and a second edge
region or in the vicinity thereof and which is
terminated within the central region of said island
portion; and
a second sipe which has an extension segment
extending from a second lateral end of said island
portion facing a second main groove and traversing the
2
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