Patent ID: 7877901

Claim:
A shoe comprising: a shoe sole; an upper secured to the shoe sole, the upper and the shoe sole together enclosing an interior of the shoe, the upper having a forefoot opening to the interior of the shoe, and the upper having left and right sides that extend along opposite sides of the forefoot opening; at least one lacing opening arranged along the upper left side and at least one lacing opening arranged along the upper right side; and, a band having a length with opposite left and right ends, the band left end being connected to the upper left side in the interior of the shoe and adjacent the at least one lacing opening arranged along the upper left side and the band right end being connected to the upper right side in the interior of the shoe and adjacent the at least one lacing opening arranged along the upper right side with the band length extending across the forefoot opening, the band positioned forward of an ankle opening of the upper to allow for easy insertion of a wearer's foot into the shoe, the band further configured to securely hold the shoe on the foot, a first portion of the band positioned over a tongue between a left slot and the upper left side, a second portion of the band positioned over the tongue between a right slot and the upper right side, the first and second portions of the band concealed by the upper, and an intermediate portion of the band between the left and right slots concealed by the tongue of the shoe so that the band is not visible when worn by the wearer.