On September 15th, 2022, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a publication (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2022/0293236) to WHOOP, Inc. for their fitness monitoring device. This is the first publication WHOOP, Inc. has received since the company was forced to cut 15% of their corporate team in July of 2022. The newest addition to the WHOOP, Inc. portfolio brings the number of total assets covering their sleep tracking capabilities to fourteen.  Other assets relating to the sleep monitoring capabilities of the WHOOP fitness monitor include U.S. Patent No. 11,185,292, U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2022/0183618, and U.S. Patent No. 10,912,495. While WHOOP is a wellness monitoring platform, they uniquely feature the ability to predict the effect of daily strain on a user’s sleep requirements, accounting for exercise, time spent napping, and other variables. After analysis, the WHOOP mobile app will display the amount of sleep a user is predicted to need at night.

This new publication focuses on creating a fitness monitoring system that is targeted towards sleep monitoring and tracking. Most of the coverage WHOOP is seeking in their newly issued application is directed towards building a sleep profile based on the efficiency and duration of a user’s sleep. While WHOOP is believed to have a significant advantage over competing wellness platforms in sleep tracking capabilities, wellness platform competitors include well-funded companies such as Apple and Fitbit. With the company facing personnel cuts and budgeting restraints, it’s uncertain if WHOOP will be able to continue the development of their unique sleep tracking technology, or if they must rely on expanding their existing assets for protection in the growing wellness tracking space.