Denko continues to develop HourMood Sleep Tracking App

Sleep tracking mobile apps play a central role in consumer sleep technology, acting as gateways between data and consumer interaction. Apps like SleepScore and or SleepWatch for the Apple Watch have expanded the market for sleep tracking apps greatly, utilizing mobile phones or fitness tracking devices, like the Apple Watch and FitBit devices, to make sleep technology mass-marketable. Producers of consumer sleep hardware, such as Sleepme and Eight Sleep have also entered the market with their own apps, making the space even more competitive.

Nitto Denko too had an application publish in early April, 2022 for a device and method of monitoring sleep, specifically for determining REM sleep based on heart rate data. Nitto Denko is a Japanese technology company, which backs Zensorium, a producer of the FitBit competitor Self and the app HourMood. This is only Nitto Denko’s third application in the space and it has no issued patents. Nitto Denko’s application not only suggests it wants to grow Zensorium’s business, but also that it views the United States as a relevant market to the product. The technology disclosed in the application is unlikely to allow Nitto Denko to grab much market share in the United States, given that other companies already have developed technology directed to sleep staging that is the same or very similar to the technology disclosed and other companies, including FitBit, Sleepme, and Eight Sleep have already developed a large advantage in market presence.

Whether or not Nitto Denko really intends to launch a series push for Zensorium to expand in the US right now, companies in this space should be on the lookout for Nitto Denko to either sell any US assets it has in this space should it ever get a granted patent or to attempt a larger acquisition of a company such as SleepScore. For more insights about sleep technology, subscribe to the Consumer Sleep Patent Forecast®.