As mentioned in a previous Consumer Sleep Technology Patent Forecast® insight, Purple Innovation is well known for its gel mattress technology, and thanks to its strong patent portfolio it has earned licensing with companies such as Jansport, Nike, and Johnson & Johnson. As Purple was scoring these licensing deals the consumer sleep technology sector was making a slight shift from just comfortable mattress materials. It is no longer sufficient to just sell a mattress that is made from a comfortable material, consumers are demanding mattresses that will help them get a better night’s sleep in any way possible. With recent studies suggesting that cooler body temperatures can improve an individual’s sleep there has been a response in the Consumer Sleep Technology Patent Forecast® sector of companies filing for patents on mattress cooling and ventilation technology.

Sleepme and Eight Sleep are two of the top companies that hold the most patent assets for mattress cooling and ventilation technology in the consumer sleep technology sector with some patent assets dating back to 2015. Compared to Sleepme and Eight Sleep, Purple is late to the game of temperature and ventilation control in mattresses but its most recent patent asset (US Patent No. 11,311,111), is an indicator that Purple sees where the current demand is and that it will have to get some solid patent protection before trying to meet that demand. Sleepme and Eight Sleep have a strong patent portfolio and it will be interesting to see if Purple can differentiate itself without collaborating with an existing developer to meet consumers’ needs. Patent Forecast® suggests that because of Purple’s lack of patent activity in this sector, Purple will have to partner up with either Sleepme or Eight Sleep to sell a product for changing the temperature of a mattress.