Patent ID: 7297399

Claim:
A thermal transport structure, comprising: a thermal transport layer comprising a thermally conductive material and having a first surface and a second surface wherein each of the thermal transport layer first surface and second surface are outward-facing surfaces of the thermal transport layer that are configured to contact a heat-generating unit or a heat-dissipating unit, and the thermally conductive material is oriented in a predetermined direction to directionally facilitate heat conduction in a direction substantially perpendicular to the predetermined direction wherein the thermal transport layer comprises a plurality of individual thermally conductive strips of substantially uniform thickness that are disposed in an alternating array with a plurality of individual relatively non-thermally conductive strips of substantially uniform thickness, and at least one of the thermally conductive strips comprises thermal pyrolytic graphite and has no resin layer present between the thermal transport layer first surface and second surface; and a resin layer secured to the thermal transport layer second surface, and the resin layer is relatively less thermally conductive than the thermal transport layer, and wherein the thermal transport layer is one of a plurality of thermal transport layers, and each of the plurality of thermal transport layers has a first surface and a second surface, and in each of the plurality of thermal transport layers the thermally conductive material in each thermally conductive strip is oriented in a determined direction to directionally facilitate heat conduction relative to the determined direction, and the resin layer is one of a plurality of resin layers, and each of the plurality of resin layers is relatively less thermally conductive than any one of the plurality of thermal transport layers; and each of the plurality of the thermal transport layers and each of the plurality of resin layers are arranged alternating to each other.