On July 22, 2022, Fitbit, Inc. announced the addition of sleep profiles to their sleep tracking platform. Fitbit, Inc. is a wearable sensor device that tracks the biological signals of a user. The sleep tracking platform uses heartrate, temperature, and other biological data to predict the sleep stages of a user. Using the sleep data, the platform creates an animal-based sleep profile for the user’s monthly sleep analysis report. The six animal profiles are categorized by how early a user goes to sleep and wakes up in comparison to other users, as well as how deep a user sleeps and how long the deep sleep cycle lasts. The animal profiles are featured in the user’s monthly sleep report, and users can view other sleep animal profiles within their demographic to gain insight into getting the best sleep according to those of the same demographic.

Fitbit’s newest patent, US Patent No. 11,478,186, issued October 25, 2022, protects these sleep profiles and the technology behind comparing sleep analysis clusters. Originally filed on January 29, 2021, the newest patent is one of over 350 assets assigned to Fitbit in the sensor technology space, and one of 46 assets assigned to Fitbit in the consumer sleep technology sector.

Despite these numerous assets, Fitbit, Inc. still has an unreached market. Those who suffer from routine night terrors, a condition known as parasomnia, would benefit from a sleep tracking platform that detects the heartrate and stress levels of a user, clusters the data according to age demographics or other factors, and connects the user to other users with similar data. Those suffering from parasomnia disregard traditional sleep analysis platforms, as they do not follow a customary sleeping routine. NightWare, Inc. is a digital therapy application specifically designed for those suffering from parasomnia. The technology learns a user’s abstract sleep patterns and customizes a response to detected nightmares based on heartrate sensor data and the estimated stress levels of the user. The acquisition of NightWare, Inc. and the company’s three patents, US Patent No. 11,471,644, US Patent No. 10,765,831, and US Patent No. 11,284,834, by Fitbit, Inc. would allow Fitbit, Inc. to expand their market to include users suffering from parasomnia.