Patent ID: 8002422

Claim:
A backlight assembly, comprising: a plurality of lamps to generate light; a diffusing plate positioned over the lamps to diffuse the light; a receiving container having a bottom portion and a sidewall portion extended from the bottom portion, the bottom portion and the sidewall portion defining a receiving space, wherein the plurality of lamps is positioned within the receiving space; a first supporting member placed on the bottom portion and supporting the diffusing plate, the first supporting member being flexible and including a first inclined portion, a second inclined portion and a diffuser contacting portion connecting the first and the second inclined portions; and a plurality of second supporting members to support the lamps, wherein the diffuser contacting portion is disposed on top of the first and the second inclined portions and is contacting with the diffusing plate to support the diffusing plate, wherein the diffuser contacting portion of the first supporting member is disposed to be positioned between an otherwise side-by-side adjacent pair of lamps that are supported by said second supporting members, and wherein the inclined portions and the diffuser contacting portion and the bottom portion define and surround an empty space and the inclined portions are thus capable of flexing toward the empty space beneath them in response to impact forces transmitted from the diffusing plate to the diffuser contacting portion.