Multi-Layer Tubular Braided Structure for Footwear

A multi-layer tubular braided textile structure formed as a single continuous patterned tube that integrates inner support, tension-distribution pathways, and a plantar interface within one unified footwear upper architecture.

FIGURE 1 illustrates perspective views of a continuous multi-layer tubular braided textile structure configured for formation of a footwear upper. The structure is formed as a single patterned textile tube comprising an inner structural support layer region (102), an intermediate tension-distribution pathway region (103), and an outer plantar interface layer region (104), all integrated within a continuous tubular braided textile structure (101). The figure further illustrates a tubular formation boundary (106) defining the continuous perimeter of the textile tube and zonally varied density regions (107) configured to provide localized variation in flexibility, support, and load-transfer behavior across the structure. The illustrated regions demonstrate how multiple functional layers and tension pathways may be formed simultaneously within a single braided architecture to create a unified load-sharing textile shell without requiring stitching, lamination, overlays, or separate strobel components.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the multi-layer tubular braided footwear structure showing integrated lace-tension transmission pathways extending through and between an inner conformal support layer (201), an intermediate tension-distribution layer (202), and an outer plantar interface layer (203). Unlike conventional footwear constructions in which lace forces are applied only to localized stitched eyelet rows, the illustrated lace pathways are formed directly within the textile architecture and extend through shared filament linkage regions (205) connecting the layered structure.

In operation, tension applied to the integrated lace pathways is distributed across the intermediate tension-distribution layer and transferred through interlayer filament linkage nodes into the inner conformal support layer to stabilize the foot while simultaneously transmitting load into the outer plantar interface layer to engage the underside structure of the footwear shell. This multi-layer tension transmission arrangement enables closure forces to be distributed across medial, lateral, dorsal, and plantar regions of the tubular structure rather than concentrated along discrete attachment points. The integrated lace pathways therefore function as structural reinforcement elements embedded within the textile architecture rather than as external closure components.

FIGURE 3 illustrates formation of a footwear structure from a continuous multi-layer tubular textile in which an inner conformal support layer and an intermediate tension-distribution layer are inverted to define a foot-receiving enclosure while an outer plantar interface layer is extended beneath and around the underside of the structure to form a wrap-around sole region. In particular, the inner conformal layer is inverted to establish an anatomically conforming foot-engagement surface, and the intermediate tension-distribution layer is correspondingly repositioned to define integrated closure-force transmission pathways extending across medial, lateral, and plantar regions of the textile shell. The outer plantar interface layer is then wrapped beneath the inverted layers to form a continuous wrap-around sole structure. In some embodiments, the wrap-around plantar interface layer may be consolidated using a polymeric, elastomeric, foam, or bio-derived matrix material to form an integrated composite sole region while maintaining filament continuity with the upper structure. This arrangement produces a unified load-sharing footwear shell without requiring attachment of a separate strobel board, midsole carrier, or laminated outsole component.