Photographic processes for producing prints by transfer and products useful in connection therewith

Claim 1

A PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS FOR FORMING, BY TRANSFER, A PRINT OF A LATENT IMAGE CONTAINED IN THE SILVER HALIDE EMULSION OF A PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENT WHEREIN A SINGLE APPLICATION OF LIQUID TO SAID ELEMENT IS EFFECTIVE TO GIVE A FINISHED PRINT OF IMPROVED STABILITY, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES THE STEPS OF BRINGING AN ALKALINE PROCESSING COMPOSITION CONTAINING A RELATIVELY NONVOLATILE ALKALI INTO CONTACT WITH THE PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENT SO AS TO PERMEATE SAID EMULSION WITH THE LIQUID OF SAID COMPOSITION; PROVIDING ANOTHER ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSED RELATION WITH THE PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENT SO THAT THE SAID COMPOSITION IS CONFINED BETWEEN THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID PROCESSING COMPOSITION, UPON PERMEATION OF SAID SILVER HALIDE EMULSION, CONTAINING REAGENTS FOR DEVELOPING SAID LATENT IMAGE AND FOR FORMING A TRANSFER PRINT THEREOF IN A PRINT-REOEIVING STRATUM OF THE SUPERPOSED ASSEMBLY FORMED BY SAID ELEMENTS AND SAID LAYER OF LIQUID, SAID REAGENTS INCLUDING A SILVER HALIDE DEVELOPER WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS PROPENSITY FOR OXIDIZING IN AN ALKALINE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR ADVERSELY AFFECTING THE TRANSFER PRINT WHEN SO OXIDIZED IN THE PRINT-RECEIVING STRATUM, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS CONTAINING, IN THE PORTION THEREOF PERMEATED BY SAID PROCESSING COMPOSITION, A SALT OF AN ORGANIC AMINE CAPABLE OF REACTING WITH THE HYDROXYL CONTENT OF SAID COMPOSITION TO GIVE, AS A REACTION PRODUCT, AN ORGANIC AMINE WHICH IS ALKALINE BUT LESS ALKALINE THAN THE SAID NONVOLATILE ALKALI AND WHICH IS VOLATILE; RETAINING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENT AND SAID OTHER ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSED RELATION UNTIL THE LATENT IMAGE IN THE SILVER HALIDE EMULSION IS DEVELOPED AND A PRINT OF SAID LATENT IMAGE IS FORMED IN SAID PRINT-RECEIVING STRATUM; AND STRIPPING SAID TWO ELEMENTS FROM ONE ANOTHER TO PERMIT VOLATILIZATION OF THE VOLATILE REACTION PRODUCT FROM SAID STRATUM.