Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global real estate market faces increasing pressure to maintain and extend the lifespan of existing building stock amidst rising material and labor costs. Regulatory pushes for sustainable building practices also favor repair over replacement. This technology offers a timely solution, allowing property owners and facility managers to efficiently address common structural issues like floor subsidence, thereby preserving asset value and reducing the environmental footprint associated with demolition and new construction. It also supports the growing demand for rapid, minimally disruptive renovation methods in high-occupancy environments.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Eliminates Subfloor Access: Reduces labor and time significantly, enhancing safety compared to conventional methods.

02

Achieves Low Cost and Short Project Timelines: Avoids heavy machinery and extensive demolition, cutting material and labor costs while minimizing disruption.

03

Enables Post-Repair Readjustment: Allows easy re-tightening by occupants if re-subsidence occurs, reducing long-term maintenance costs and improving customer satisfaction.

Market Opportunity
Multi-Unit Residential Property Management
$5B–$7.5B globally (AI est.)
Aging condominiums and apartments frequently experience floor subsidence, creating high demand for repairs that minimize disruption to residents. This technology also contributes to reducing property management costs.
Large-scale property management firms Residential renovation contractors Housing association maintenance services
Public and Commercial Facilities
$2.5B–$5B globally (AI est.)
Facilities with high foot traffic require rapid and low-cost repairs. This solution is effective for maintaining operational continuity and ensuring safety while minimizing downtime.
Facility management companies Commercial property developers Public infrastructure maintenance contractors
Residential Home Renovation
$1B–$2.5B globally (AI est.)
With increasing DIY trends and demand for partial renovations, there is growing interest in technologies that allow for easy repairs without requiring specialized contractors.
Home improvement retailers DIY tool manufacturers Small-to-medium renovation businesses
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects a robust method and apparatus for repairing flooring, having overcome two office actions with clear differentiation from prior art. It covers the essential invention and its application forms, ensuring a broad and stable scope of protection against invalidation.

Competitive White Space

This patent primarily covers the repair method and height adjustment tool. White space exists in developing automated floor subsidence detection systems, integrating repair data with smart building management platforms, or innovating new composite materials for enhanced durability of the repair components.

Economic Impact
~$350K/year estimated repair cost reduction per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Assuming a mid-sized multi-unit residential property management company performs 100 flooring repairs annually. If conventional repair costs are ~$3,350/unit (AI est.) (including demolition, materials, labor), this technology could reduce costs to ~$1,350/unit (AI est.). This results in a direct saving of (~$3,350 - ~$1,350) × 100 units = ~$200K (AI est.). Including savings from temporary housing, moving costs, and avoided opportunity loss due to shorter project timelines, the total economic impact could exceed ~$330K annually (AI est.).

Speed to Market
6× faster than in-house development
This technology has already received patent approval, with its fundamental concept and mechanism fully established. The inventor can provide video demonstrations, making it easy for potential licensees to visualize its integration into existing construction and renovation workflows. This significantly shortens the development period compared to in-house R&D, potentially reducing time-to-market by approximately 2.5 years and accelerating revenue generation.
Competitive Positioning

X: Ease of Implementation
Y: Repair Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness

Business Models & Applications
🤝 🛠️ Technology Licensing Model
License the patent rights for this technology to renovation and construction companies, promoting widespread adoption of the repair method. This allows for broad market expansion while minimizing initial investment.
📦 🔧 Repair Material & Tool Sales Model
Develop and manufacture specialized repair kits, including height adjusters and pre-cut threaded rods, for sale to DIY and professional markets. This could secure a stable revenue stream.
🏘️ 👷 Repair Service Provision Model
Offer repair services using this technology directly or through a franchise model. This allows for providing high-quality, efficient repairs directly to customers and establishing a strong brand.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🏠 Residential & Property Management
Enhancing Existing Property Value
Efficiently repair creaking or sunken floors in older rental properties and used homes to boost property value. This service could be integrated into renovation budgets, enhancing competitiveness in sales and rental markets. It also contributes to increased tenant satisfaction.
🏗️ Construction & Renovation
Disaster Recovery Support Tool
Utilize as an emergency repair tool for floors sunken due to earthquakes or floods. It could enable rapid temporary or full restoration even when subfloor access is difficult, supporting disaster victims' recovery. This would contribute to shorter recovery periods and reduced costs.
🏭 Industrial Floor Maintenance
Maintaining Level Factory & Warehouse Floors
Repair and adjust sunken or uneven floors in factories and warehouses, where heavy machinery operates, without halting production lines. This could help maintain machine precision, ensure worker safety, and prevent decreases in production efficiency. Regular maintenance could optimize long-term capital expenditure.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 18-Month Deployment
Technology Validation & Integration Design
Duration: 3 months
Evaluate the technology's principles and compatibility with the licensee's existing methods. Identify specific repair targets, customize tool design, and plan optimized construction procedures.
Prototyping & Field Validation
Duration: 6 months
Manufacture prototype tools based on design and conduct small-scale field trials. Verify constructability, durability, and cost-effectiveness, incorporating feedback into the design.
Full-Scale Deployment & Standardization
Duration: 9 months
Standardize the technology based on validation results and establish a large-scale implementation framework. Develop sales and marketing strategies to achieve widespread market adoption and business expansion.
Technical Feasibility
This technology's simple structure, comprising a threaded rod and height adjuster as described in the patent claims, allows for easy integration into existing floor repair operations. No specialized large-scale equipment is required; standard power tools for drilling and cutting threaded rods are sufficient. This enables licensees to adopt the technology quickly without significant changes to their current construction methods or supply chains, indicating a very low barrier to entry.
Success Scenario
Implementing this technology could reduce flooring subsidence repair times from several days to potentially half a day to one day. This may double the number of repairs performed annually and is estimated to reduce costs associated with temporary resident relocation and furniture moving by an average of 30%. Consequently, customer satisfaction could improve, potentially increasing repeat business and new client acquisition through referrals.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2022-078926
REGISTRATION NO.
7190781
FILING DATE
2022/05/12
GRANT DATE
2022/12/08
EXPIRATION DATE
2042/05/12
PATENT HOLDER
新垣　寛之
Examination History
2022年05月25日
早期審査に関する事情説明書
2022年05月25日
出願審査請求書
2022年06月02日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年07月12日
早期審査に関する通知書
2022年07月19日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年08月30日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年08月30日
意見書
2022年10月03日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年10月26日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年10月26日
意見書
2022年11月14日
特許査定