Is there a Mfg Co. that would take my item on board?

Is your product made by injection molding only

or does it need to be blow-molded?

Your gonna have to do legwork, and then more legwork. You'll have to take it to pet equipment manufacturers, and if they think it will sell, they will pay you. I would suggest a good patent lawyer, so you don't get screwed.

Good answer Skell! You gat a GA from me.

Does he mean that the product is a product intended for pets?

Or its a product manufactured out of PET (a kind of plastic) ?

I hope it's not manufactured out of Pets....I'm locking up my dog and I have a gun (well, a gun is an understatement, but slowly back away from the dog and keep your ideas where I can see em...)

didnt mean that its manufactured with our pets....

PET is short for Polyethylene Terephthalate

... and its a type of plastic

<in a very quiet voice>shhhhh, I know what PET plastics are, but I was making a joke...<Just nod and smile, nod and smile...I'll go away eventually>

no... I did get your joke .... I just thought that it might confuse others lol

nope, just me...but that's ok, I'm both easily confuzzled and amused...ohh, look, pretty flower....

There is a reputable company in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which does "contract molding."

Xten Industries: Here's a link to their website: http://www.xtenindustries.com

You supply the mold. They do the molding.

A basic mold, for say, a hand sized product, without a lot of complexity to it, costs a minimum of $35,000.

The beauty is, the product will eventually cost about $0.50 to make, once the volume is up.

This company manufactured a product sold on QVC or Home Shopping Network, two crystal clear bowls, with dividers. You bought the set, then filled the slots with candies, or grains, or seeds, or gravel, or M&Ms, or whatever you liked. You used it as a center bowl. It was a big hit with the purple hair crowd.

Tom

Hello Rikki,

I'm not sure if you can find the correct forum to find the answers you need, but you will surely get some valid contribution from here.

At some point, you must disclose your idea to a potentially interested party. Patent Pending is good, because, unlike an awarded Patent, the information is not yet disclosed publicly. Still, and unfortunately, Patents are just fodder for the legal system, and the only one who really makes money in any litigation is the attorney (sorry to all my attorney friends). I have been deposed several times, and often the conclusions are lengthy and rarely "good" for either party.

Although just another "piece of paper" what I (and my clients) often resort to is an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) which allows me or them to discuss the details of my or their ideas enough to see if there is interest or not ... feasibility (cost, manufacturability, etc.) or not. If you need, I can offer you a general mutual NDA form which you can use or plagiarize from, or you can probably find some good ones on-line. I wouldn't personally spend money with an attorney for this.

In my own experience, one of the best ways to find a viable ally is to approach brands of similar products and see if they are willing to buy your idea. Generally, they already have a supply chain which manufacturers for them, and can either manage that part, or put you in contact with the appropriate persons.

It will take some research on your part, and you will find many brands who are not even interested in chatting with you, but if you are diligent you may just find a good and profitable "partner", not only for this idea, but for possible future ideas.

Good luck.

under seperate cover I will send you a confidentiality / non disclosure device that you may find helpful -

Jim

If you are still in the design stage, you might try Protomold.

I wish you luck but be forewarned. You many need the patience of Job to find someone who is interested. Very few firms take care of business. I attended a "Job Shop" trade show a few months ago and left six requests for quotes with spring manufacturers. Not one ever contacted me. Recently I sent out six RFQ's for plastic extrusions and received only one back.