Patent ID: 8397357

Claim:
A shoelace retaining apparatus comprising: an elongated base substrate having an engagement surface and an opposite external surface; the elongated base substrate apportioned via a lateral centerline into a fixed section and a free section; a shoe coupling interface integrated into the fixed section, wherein the shoe coupling interface comprises a tubular structure integrated into the fixed section, the tubular structure including a distal fastening aperture located proximate a distal end of the fixed section, and a central fastening aperture located proximate a fold end of the fixed section, wherein the tubular structure is oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the base substrate; a first coupling interface portion disposed upon the engagement surface of the fixed section of the elongated base substrate; and a mating coupling interface portion disposed upon the engagement surface of the free section of the elongated base substrate, wherein the shoelace retaining apparatus is removably attached to a laced shoe via the shoe coupling interface, wherein a loop portion and a free end portion of the shoelace are entrapped between the engagement surface of the fixed section and the engagement surface of the free section by mating the first coupling interface portion and the mating coupling interface portion, wherein the entrapment directs the lace loop and the free end of the lace to be generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of a tongue of the laced shoe, and wherein the first coupling interface portion comprises one of a group of a dense hook surface and a dense loop surface and the mating coupling interface portion comprises a mating surface, wherein the mating surface of the dense hook surface is the dense loop surface and the mating surface of the dense loop surface is the dense hook surface.