IPO Education Foundation Honors Top Inventor of 2008

    WASHINGTON, June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Intellectual Property
 Owners Education Foundation will present the 35th Annual National Inventor
 of the Year Award to Dr. Ihor Lys of Color Kinetics (now Philips
 Solid-State Lighting Solutions) on June 10, 2008. The Award will be
 presented in a ceremony at the Old Patent Office, now the Smithsonian
 American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. Dr. Lys will be
 recognized for his development of Powercore(R), a breakthrough in digital
 power processing technology designed to increase efficiency, lower the
 overall cost, and simplify installation of LED (light emitting diode)
 lighting systems.
 
     LED sources are highly efficient, long-lasting, easily controllable,
 and environmentally friendly, enabling new uses of light while minimizing
 energy consumption. LEDs are up to four times more efficient than
 incandescent and halogen sources and are rapidly gaining ground on
 fluorescent sources. An incandescent bulb burns for 1,000 hours before the
 filament flakes out, while LEDs can last 50,000 hours and longer depending
 on the system. They are expected to supplant conventional light sources for
 illuminating homes and workspaces in the future. The LED market is
 projected to reach $30 billion by 2025. The U.S. Department of Energy has
 estimated cumulative savings of $98 billion by 2020 once LED lighting
 reaches the performance crossover with conventional light sources. However,
 to be useful for illumination, LED sources must be integrated into systems
 that account for optics, high-efficiency LED drivers, advanced power
 components, and thermal management.
 
     Historically, LED lights required an external power supply and special
 cabling to convert line voltage into low voltage. Similar to a laptop's
 power supply, these were in the form of a "brick" in the power cord. This
 configuration, a power source outside the light fixture itself, was
 inefficient because power was lost in the conversion. Powercore(R)
 technology integrates power, data management and voltage conversion into
 the light fixture, eliminating the need for a separate power supply.
 
     A number of high-profile landmarks are illuminated by Powercore-based
 solid-state lighting systems, including the Hollywood Bowl and CN Tower in
 Toronto. The technology has been incorporated into 13 commercialized
 products to date and will be incorporated into a majority of Philips'
 future solid-state lighting products, including many already in
 development.
 
     Dr. Lys co-founded Color Kinetics in 1997, where he developed
 Powercore(R) and a number of other LED illumination technologies. Color
 Kinetics was acquired by Philips Electronics North America in August 2007,
 and now Dr. Lys serves as Chief Scientist of the new Philips Solid-State
 Lighting Solutions. He is responsible for the company's strategic
 technology advancement and implementation, including applied research and
 advanced engineering in the development of new lighting, power and control
 products. Throughout his career, Dr. Lys has contributed to more than 50
 issued patents and numerous patent filings. He has been named to several
 prestigious industry lists, including the Technology Review TR100, Mass
 High Tech All-Stars, and Entertainment Design magazine's 50 Most Powerful
 People in Entertainment Technology.
 
     The National Inventor of the Year Award fosters the spirit of American
 innovation and highlights the protection offered to inventors by the patent
 system. The Award is the best known honor for recent American inventors,
 having gone previously to those responsible for the development of the
 Jarvik Seven Artificial Heart, Bose speaker technology and other patented
 breakthrough inventions. The award will be presented by Dean Kamen of DEKA
 Research & Development Corporation, a noted inventor, entrepreneur, and
 National Medal of Technology recipient.
 
     Members of the media can arrange to attend the June 10 ceremony by
 contacting Clara Stanfield at 202-521-6738.
 
     About IPO Education Foundation
 
     Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation, a non-profit
 subsidiary of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), was
 established in 2005 to educate the public on the importance of intellectual
 property rights to the national and global economies.
 
     Donations to the foundation by individuals are tax deductible to the
 extent allowed by law. To find out more about IPO Education Foundation
 programs or how to make a donation, visit www.ipoef.org or call
 202/466-2396.
 
 
 

SOURCE Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation