Inventor bugs ants with pet feeder
Ants find their way into everything, including pet food. But a local inventor has found a way to keep them from bugging pets. Edward B. Jr.'s new pet feeder keeps ants away from dogs' and cats' daily meals. "I started working on things that might keep the ants from getting at the food," Edward said. "I tried different things until I finally got it to where it was working." Edward couldn't provide any description of the product because it is currently in the patenting phase of production. But he said once it's patented, a Coral Gables, Fla. Company called Invention Technologies, Inc. will market and sell the item to an interested company. "I went through several different ideas, too, because one idea caused a mess and then the next idea didn't work," Edward said. "After going through several ideas I came up with this and it worked relatively well."
The idea was born of a problem Edward had while raising Pomeranians with his wife, in 1994. Because he had five or more at a time to watch, he was forced to feed them outdoors. That brought the ants and Edward was soon searching for a way to lock the little pests out of the puppies' food. "They'd nibble at their food a little bit and then walk away and then nibble at it some more later," Edward said. "So I noticed when I came back from work the bowl was full of ants. "No matter what I tried I had no choice but to feed them outside." Edward is a counselor and cross country coach at a high school. He's heard stories about inventors who were able to retire on their good ideas, but the success he's had so far with the pet feeder has instead spurred him on to other ideas. "Part of what I do on the side now is come up with ideas of what I can do for the next invention," Edward said. "It just makes you think, if you can come up with the next, whatever, it fires you up." He also has no intention of quitting work and retiring if his invention is a hit. "I still enjoy my job, regardless of where this goes, because I enjoy working with kids," Edward said. "Sitting on a boat sounds nice, but that can get old, too."
"We're in the process of seeking a license agreement with a manufacturer for this product," said an Invent-Tech employee who identified herself only as Michelle. "We are a research and development company." Invent-Tech would get a percentage of the feeder's sales. They pay for the patent and all marketing of the product. "It's been a good relationship so far," Edward said. "They were pretty excited about it and that excited me." The feeder will appear in stores as soon as Invent-Tech finds a manufacturer, Edward said. He's tried to market the feeder for about six months, but it could take more than a year to get the item on store shelves. "If somebody jumps in, well, it could be a month or a year," Edward said. "It's like your baby. You get to see it grow and move on to the next stage and where does it go from here? "The anticipation is there."