Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global functional food market is experiencing robust growth, fueled by an aging population, rising chronic disease rates, and a proactive approach to health. Consumers are moving beyond basic nutrition, demanding products that offer specific health benefits like weight management and improved sleep. This technology provides a unique opportunity for food manufacturers to differentiate themselves in a crowded market by offering a familiar product with advanced, scientifically-backed wellness attributes, tapping into both indulgence and health trends.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Promotes fat burning during activity and sleep, while enhancing deep sleep for overall wellness.

02

Transforms high-calorie baked goods into guilt-free, healthy options, creating new consumption habits and market share.

03

Achieved patentability despite 11 prior art references, providing a strong differentiator in a crowded market.

Market Opportunity
Functional Baked Goods Market
$150M–$250M globally (AI est.)
Growing health consciousness and demand for functional attributes in confectionery. Strong demand for products balancing taste and health.
Major confectionery manufacturers Health food brand developers Specialty bakery chains
Sleep Improvement Food Market
$650M–$700M globally (AI est.)
Sleep issues are worsening in a stressful society, driving demand for convenient food-based solutions. This technology offers a novel approach.
Pharmaceutical companies with consumer health divisions Wellness beverage and snack brands Functional ingredient suppliers
Healthy Snack Market
$0.5B–$1.5B globally (AI est.)
Increasing demand for guilt-free snacks. Nutrition and functionality-focused snacks contribute to daily health maintenance.
Large-scale snack food producers Organic and natural food distributors Private label manufacturers for grocery chains
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent was granted after successfully overcoming examiner rejections with precise arguments and amendments, establishing a robust and clearly defined scope of protection. It features six claims, with the scope clarified by specific technical characteristics such as the iodine value and unsaturated fatty acid content of the raw oils. The successful navigation through a highly competitive field, evidenced by 11 cited prior art documents, underscores the technology's uniqueness and strong differentiation.

Competitive White Space

This patent primarily covers baked goods utilizing specific high-iodine-value oils. White space exists in applying similar fat-burning or sleep-enhancing principles to other food categories like beverages, savory snacks, or dietary supplements, or exploring alternative functional ingredients.

Economic Impact
~$1M/year estimated new market development (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

By introducing this technology, new customer segments could be captured in the existing baked goods market due to the clear added value of 'preventing fat accumulation'. For example, selling high-value-added baked goods at ~$1.30/unit (AI est.) (+$0.35/unit (AI est.) vs. conventional products) and projecting an annual sales increase of 1.5 million units, an estimated revenue increase of ~$0.5M (AI est.) could be achieved. Furthermore, brand value enhancement through sleep improvement benefits could open up a new market segment of ~$1M/year (AI est.).

Speed to Market
6× faster than in-house development
This technology has completed the prototype stage, with established basic formulation and functional verification data. This allows adopting companies to significantly reduce R&D time from scratch, focusing instead on optimization and mass production for integration into existing production lines, potentially shortening time-to-market by approximately 2.5 years. With functional ingredient selection and efficacy verification already complete, early market entry and first-mover advantage are anticipated.
Competitive Positioning

X: Multifaceted Functional Benefits
Y: Speed to Market

Business Models & Applications
🍩 Functional Baked Goods OEM/ODM
Leverage the licensee's manufacturing facilities and sales channels to produce and supply functional baked goods incorporating this technology for other brands. This could meet diverse customer needs and diversify revenue streams.
🏷️ Own Brand Product Development & Sales
Develop and directly sell original branded baked goods centered on this technology. Differentiating as a high-value-added product could establish brand loyalty and achieve high-profit margins.
🤝 Technology Licensing
License the manufacturing know-how and patent rights of this technology to other companies, generating royalty income. Collaboration with various food manufacturers could achieve both technology dissemination and revenue growth.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
👵 介護・見守り
Nutritional Support Baked Goods for Seniors
Develop nutritionally balanced baked goods using this technology to combat fat accumulation and muscle loss in seniors. These could be easily consumed even with appetite loss, potentially extending healthy lifespans. The sleep quality improvement could also enhance seniors' overall quality of life.
🏋️ スポーツ・フィットネス
Performance-Enhancing Snacks for Athletes
Repurpose as a functional snack to support efficient post-exercise fat burning and recovery. Specific oil components could promote energy metabolism, potentially maximizing training effects. This targets athletes and health-conscious active individuals.
🐶 ペットフード
Obesity Management Treats for Dogs & Cats
Pet obesity is a major health concern. Apply this technology's fat-burning effects to develop healthy pet baked goods using high-iodine-value oils. This could contribute to pet health and longevity, meeting the needs of pet owners.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 16-Month Deployment
Initial Verification & Formulation Optimization
Duration: 4 months
Adjust the basic formulation to the licensee's existing equipment and determine optimal functional oil ratios. Conduct taste, texture, and functional re-evaluation based on prototype data.
Prototyping, Safety Evaluation & Mass Production Review
Duration: 7 months
Conduct full-scale prototyping with the optimized formulation and perform food safety evaluations (shelf-life, microbiological tests, etc.). Concurrently, assess technical challenges for mass production on existing lines.
Market Launch & Efficacy Verification
Duration: 5 months
Establish the final product manufacturing process and initiate market launch. Collect initial sales data and consumer feedback to drive continuous product improvement and verify functional efficacy.
Technical Feasibility
This technology, related to baked goods using specific oils with an iodine value of 90 or higher, is considered highly compatible with existing baked goods manufacturing lines. The main modifications are limited to raw oil selection and formulation adjustments, allowing for relatively easy integration into existing production processes without significant capital investment. Given existing prototyping success, the technical hurdles are considered low.
Success Scenario
Upon adopting this technology, companies could introduce baked goods with a clear 'fat accumulation prevention' functionality to the market. This is expected to stimulate new demand from health-conscious consumers and capture market share not accessible with conventional baked goods. Furthermore, the added sleep improvement benefits could further differentiate products from competitors and enhance brand value.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2022-154286
REGISTRATION NO.
7496630
FILING DATE
2022/09/28
GRANT DATE
2024/05/30
EXPIRATION DATE
2042/09/28
PATENT HOLDER
学校法人東京聖栄大学
Examination History
2022年10月26日
出願審査請求書
2022年10月26日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年11月22日
手続補正指令書（中間書類）
2022年12月28日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2023年03月07日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2023年05月09日
手続補正指令書（中間書類）
2023年05月16日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2023年11月21日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年02月03日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年02月03日
意見書
2024年05月14日
特許査定