Process of washing and protecting photographic silver images, and photographic products thereof

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A WASHED AND PROTECTED SILVER-TRANSFER REVERSAL PRINT FROM A PHOTOEXPOSED SILVER HALIDE PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIAL, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF DIFFERENTIALLY REACTING SAID SILVER HALIDE MATERIAL WITH A DEVELOPER THEREFOR IN ORDER TO REDUCE PHOTOEXPOSED SILVER HALIDE MATERIAL TO SILVER, DIFFERENTIALLY REACTING REDUCED SILVER HALIDE MATERIAL WITH A SOLVENT THEREFOR IN ORDER TO FORM A DIFFUSIBLE SILVER COMPLEX, TRANSFERRING SAID DIFFUSIBLE SILVER COMPLEX TO A PRINT-RECEPTIVE MATERIAL, FORMING IN SAID PRINT-RECEPTIVE MATERIAL A PRINT INCLUDING SILVER FROM SAID COMPLEX, AND APPLYING TO SAID PRINT-RECEPTIVE MATERIAL A WASHING AND PROTECTING SOLUTION COMPRISING (1) A POLYMER, (2) WATER, (3) A VOLATILE, WATER-MISCIBLE, ORGANIC LIQUID THAT IS A SOLVENT FOR SAID POLYMER AND (4) A WEAK BASE, SAID WATER, SAID ORGANIC SOLVENT AND SAID BASE COOPERATING TO DISSOLVE SAID POLYMER, SAID POLYMER BEING INSOLUBLE IN WATER ALONE, SAID POLYMER BEING AN ACIDIC POLYMER OF A MONOMER CONTAINING A SINGLE CARBON-TO-CARBON DOUBLE BOND AS THE SOLE CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATION AND ALSO CONTAINING GROUPS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF CARBOXYLIC ACID AND CARBOXYLIC ACID ANHYDRIDE GROUPS, IN ORDER TO WASH THE RESIDUE OF SAID PROCESSING SOLUTION FROM SAID PRINTRECEPTIVE MATERIAL AND TO PRODUCE UPON SAID PRINT-RECEPTIVE MATERIAL A PROTECTIVE COATING COMPOSED PRIMARILY OF SAID POLYMER.