Patent ID: 8297801

Claim:
A lamp ( 10 ) comprising a vehicle taillight and having a cup-shaped body ( 12 ) having a planar bottom ( 14 ) with an up-standing, peripheral side wall ( 16 ) defining a top ( 18 ), said cup-shaped body ( 12 ) having a width greater than its height whereby said cup-shaped body ( 12 ) is substantially flat and said up-standing peripheral side wall ( 16 ) is perpendicular to said planar bottom; a reflective coating ( 20 ) on an inside surface of said planar bottom ( 14 ) and said up-standing peripheral side wall ( 16 ); a single side emitting LED ( 22 ) mounted on a thermally conductive coupling ( 24 ) positioned substantially in the center of said planar bottom ( 14 ); a lens ( 26 ) for directing a beam of light emitted from said LED ( 22 ) in a desired direction, said lens ( 26 ) comprising a plurality of light deflective elements extending along a plane transverse to a lamp axis to defect light emitted by the LED ( 22 ), said deflected light having a substantial directional component parallel to said lamp axis; and electrical connections ( 32 ) to said LED ( 22 ) extending through said cup-shaped body ( 12 ) wherein said lens ( 26 ) is substantially solid and defines a cavity encompassing said single, side-emitting LED ( 22 ) with the lens elements disposed on an exposed outer face of said lens.