Purple Innovation is the creator of the Purple mattress, as well as a number of other cushioned products. The company has a large number of patents for its mattress materials, which include gels and elastomers. This portfolio has helped Purple earn additional revenue through licensing with companies such as Jansport, Nike, and Johnson & Johnson. The success of the licensing strategy shows how a strong patent portfolio can be used across a variety of industries.
However, up until now Purple Innovation has been focused on developing materials. The company announced on May 12, 2021 that it would be opening a sleep innovation lab to expand R&D and inform future product development. A comfortable mattress is great, but the trends in consumer sleep technology have been moving towards active temperature monitoring and control. Companies such as Kryo and Eight Sleep have been at the front of this movement with active cooling mattress technology. Purple has nothing in this area. Patent Forecast® has covered a number of traditional mattress retailers including Mattress Firm and Beter Bed partnering with tech companies to develop smarter mattresses. We suggest that Purple do the same. There are already a number of companies patenting in this area, so Purple may have a hard time differentiating itself without working with an existing developer. Find potential partners and keep up with further developments in Consumer Sleep Technology with the Patent Forecast®.
