Patent 7886788 was granted and assigned to Sumitomo Rubber Industries on February, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A pneumatic tire with a noise damper made of a spongelike multi-cellular material is disclosed. The noise damper is divided into small dampers to improve the high-speed durability of the tire. The noise damper is provided with a water-impermeable outer coating to prevent water from infiltrating into the spongelike multi-cellular material during transporting, store keeping and the like.