Regeneration of exhausted silver bleaching solutions

Claim 1

IN THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS OF BLEACHING A METALLIC SILVER IMAGE TO SILVER HALIDE WITH A BLEACH SOLUTION COMPRISING AN ALKALI METAL BROMIDE AND FERRICYANIDE WHEREBY THE SILVER IN THE SILVER IMAGE IS OXIDIZED TO SILVER IONS WHICH COMBINE WITH THE HALIDE IN THE EMULSION AND A RELATIVELY SMALL HALIDE IN THE EMULSION AND A RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF THE FERRICYANIDE IS REDUCES TO FERROCYANIDE, AND THEN REGENERATING THE SPENT BLEACHING SOLUTION BY ADDING A REGENERATING AGENT, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID REGENERATING AGENT IS A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AN ALKALI METAL HYPOBRIMIDE, A MIXTURE OF ALKALI METAL BROMATE AND HYDROBROMIC ACID IN THE MOLAR RATIO OF 1 TO 6, AND A MIXTURE COMPRISING AN ALKALI METAL BROMATE AND AN ALKALI METAL BROMIDE IN THE MOLAR RATIO OF 1 TO 5, THE AMOUNT OF SAID MATERIAL BEING SUCH AS THAT WHICH WILL RELEASE ONE MOLAR EQUIVAENT OF BROMINE FOR EACH MOLAR EQUIVALENT OF FERROCYANIDE ION PRESENT IN THE EXHAUSTED BLEACH SOLUTION.