 In 1912, Owens acquired rights to Irving Wightman Colburn's invention for manufacturing plate glass.In 1929, the Owens Bottle Co. acquired the assets of Illinois Glass Co. of Alton, Illinois, and renamed itself the Owens-Illinois Glass Co., making it the largest glass company in the world.Owens-Illinois Glass Company acquired Libby Glass Company in 1935, but spun it off as a separate company in 1993.