Patent ID: 6959753

Claim:
An apparatus comprising a heat sink which in its entirety can absorb heat over time, said heat sink including: (a) an enclosure defining an enclosed cavity and having a highly thermally conductive portion composed of a composite of highly thermally conductive fibers disposed in a matrix; (b) a plurality of said fibers extending externally of said matrix and into said cavity to provide a porous, highly thermally conductive material integral with and thermally coupled to said highly thermally conductive portion and disposed in said cavity, said porous material being said plurality of said thermally conductive fibers extending from said matrix into said cavity, and (c) a phase change material disposed in said porous material in said cavity, said phase change material being operable in its entirety to absorb heat over time, and said phase change material changing from an initial phase to a final phase in response to the absorption of heat.