April 2014
Corning continues to accelerate its pace of innovation, and last month’s annual Patent Awards ceremony was a testament to that inventive spirit. The company honored inventors who earned a total of 364 U.S. patents in 2013 – a new record.

The newly issued patents represent a 10 percent increase over last year, and a 36 percent increase over 2011.

General Counsel Lewis Steverson and Chief Technology Officer David Morse praised the crowd at the Corning Museum of Glass for staying on course with breakthrough discoveries and, at the same time, protecting information.

“Corning’s intellectual property is one of its most highly valued assets and gives us essential competitive advantage and positions us as a global leader in our fields of technology and commercial endeavor,” David said.

“You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished and that you’re a member of the ranks of many generations of extraordinary inventors.”

Guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Donald Sadoway, materials chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author of more than 150 scientific papers and holder of 18 U.S. patents, his research is directed towards the development of rechargeable batteries for grid-level storage and environmentally sound technologies for the extraction of metals.

In 2012, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

The professor outlined the approach of his research firm, Ambri, in developing liquid metal batteries for electricity storage. The organization has positioned the technology as a solution that will change the way electrical power grids operate worldwide.

He also drew parallels between his own passion for materials science and that of Corning’s inventors.

“Be realistic - ask for the impossible,” he said. “Sometimes the impossible becomes the inevitable – and that’s what you’re doing here.”