One of the leaders in the Consumer Sleep Technology space is Philips, which tends to have a constant stream of patent activity publish every week. But the company's strategy is unique for the Sleep market. This strategy is highlighted by an application published this week, assigned to Philips, which is directed to a sensor for detecting body position during sleep.

While most emerging companies today are focusing on the category of "Environmental Control," or the modification of some sensory variable in your bedroom, such as light or sound, Philips appears to be heavily investing in both Data Processing and Sensors. This was not always the case. In fact, the patent activity history shows Philips shifting away from Environmental Control in 2014 in favor of other intellectual property protection. The size of the technology disclosures in Devices doubled in size, while the patents in Environmental Control were left without further continuing portfolio development.

Philips still is one of the leaders in Environmental Control, but its recent activity in this category has been matched by the likes of Eight Sleep, Bose, and Yamaha (Yamaha is notably prevalent in sound control during sleep). The favoring of Data Processing and Sensors over Environmental Control is particularly interesting considering Philips' recent release of its Smart Sleep headband device. The company's investment could be a sign that Philips sees data collection and analytics—and not devices themselves—as the prime value to be extracted from the market's sleeping quarters.