Update: Innovation Direct™ conducts conference call with inventor of bedding accessory and Florida-based manufacturer…

Hello, Juan C. Blanco, Innovation Direct™’s Director of Product Licensing, checking in one final time on an extremely busy Friday. Earlier Friday, Innovation Direct™ facilitated a conference call with the inventor of a bedding accessory from our roster and the principal of a Florida-based manufacturer that has had a long-standing interest in the concept. As we’ve explained in numerous past entries here on the Innovation Direct™ Blog, the manufacturer has retained an advanced level of interest in the invention since the fall of 2007, and has been performing their due diligence on manufacturing costs in particular in recent times. Today’s conversation was scheduled with the overriding purpose of providing the inventor and Innovation Direct™ with an update on the progress towards getting an official sample of the product made, which would be key in figuring final manufacturing costs per unit.

As per today’s conversation, the potential licensee has come to the realization that he will have to get a sample made here in the United States and sent overseas in order to ever get a production quote. Previously, the manufacturer had been attempting to have the sample made by the same factory that would eventually provide the quote. However these efforts have proved fruitless, hence the decision to go a different route. The company representative did mention he had an industry colleague actively seeking new factory contacts for him in China, and also was contracting a graphic designer to help him with the color and graphics for the sample.

The potential licensee also mentioned that they had come to a decision that the product would require heavy-duty magnets as a key component in order to function properly, but that he was having trouble finding a source for these. The inventor volunteered to perform research online to help with this aspect of the matter, and agreed to send any information he found to the manufacturer via e-mail.

All parties agreed to reconvene on Monday, May 11th for the next telephone conversation. As customary, full details on the results of the call will be found here on the Innovation Direct™ Blog. Check back often!