Patent ID: 7704762

Claim:
A method of producing a lamp, including: forming, from an electrically conductive material, a plurality of electrically conductive receptacles; forming, from an electrically conductive material, an electrically conductive non-planar support structure divided into mutually spaced portions, the portions having a three-dimensional array of recesses or through holes therein, the recesses or through holes being configured to receive and support the electrically conductive receptacles; mounting light emitting junctions in the electrically conductive receptacles; mounting the electrically conductive receptacles with light emitting junctions mounted therein in respective ones of the recesses or through holes in the mutually spaced portions of the non-planar electrically conductive support structure so as to form a three-dimensional array of electrically conductive receptacles in electrical connection with the mutually spaced portions of the non-planar electrically conductive support structure, each of the electrically conductive receptacles being supported by a corresponding one of the mutually spaced portions of the non-planar electrically conductive support structure; and forming electrical connections between the light emitting junctions and the mutually spaced portions of the non-planar electrically conductive support structure; wherein each of the light emitting junctions includes two electrical contacts of opposite electrical polarities, one of the electrical contacts being directly electrically connected to the portion of the electrically conductive support structure that supports the light emitting junction, and the other of the electrical contacts being directly electrically connected to another of the portions of the electrically conductive support structure so that electrical current flows through the supporting portions of the non-planar electrically conductive support structure to supply power to the light emitting junctions.