Patent ID: 8314433

Claim:
A flexible thermal energy dissipating and light emitting diode (LED) mounting arrangement, comprising: a plurality of LEDs each including an LED circuit having a top surface from which radiation is emitted in response to current flow through the LED circuit and an opposite bottom surface mounted to a mounting surface, and encapsulating material surrounding the LED circuit and the mounting surface, the encapsulating material defining a top portion opposite the top surface of the LED circuit, a bottom portion opposite the mounting surface and at least one side portion extending between the bottom portion and the top portion, and a flexible thermally conductive sheet defining a plurality of openings therethrough, each of the plurality of openings sized to receive and securely hold therein a different one of the plurality of LEDs with the thermally conductive sheet about the opening in physical, thermally conductive contact with the at least one side portion of the encapsulating material, the flexible thermally conductive sheet absorbing thermal energy generated within each of the plurality of LEDs as a result of current flow through the LED circuit and rejecting the absorbed thermal energy to ambient, the flexible thermally conductive sheet being formable to direct radiation from the plurality of LEDs in multiple directions while securely holding each of the plurality of LEDs within a corresponding one of each of the plurality of openings.