Photographic process, product and apparatus

Claim 1

A METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY TREATING AT LEAST TWO EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIAL LAYERS ARRANGED IN FACING RELATION AND EACH INCLUDING A LATENT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE AND EACH COMPRISING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A SUBSTANTIALLY FLEXIBLE SHEET, WITH AT LEAST TWO FLUID PROCESSING AGENTS TO PRODUCE TWO VISIBLE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES SAID METHOD COMPRISING INTRODUCING A SUBSTANTIALLY INFLEXIBLE SHEETLIKE ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID FLEXIBLE SHEETS IN SUPERPOSITION WITH SAID EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS, THE LATTER BEING DISPOSED INNERMOST ADJACENT SAID ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS FLEXIBLE THAN SAID SHEETS, PROVIDING A QUANTITY OF ONE OF SAID FLUID AGENTS BETWEEN EACH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT. EACH OF SAID FLUID AGENTS BEING CAPABLE WHEN PERMEATED INTO ONE OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS OF DEVELOPING THE LATENT IMAGE THEREIN TO PRODUCE A VISIBLE IMAGE ON SAID SHEET COMPRISING SAID ONE PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER, MOVING SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSED RELATION RELATIVE TO AND BETWEEN A PAIR OF PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A FLUID-SPREADING SURFACE PORTION JUXTAPOSED WITH THE OTHERAND A PAIR OF COOPERATING PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FLUID-SPREADING SURFACE PORTION, DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS, CAUSING EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF COOPERATING PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS TO ENGAGE ONE OF SAID SHEETS AND SPACE APART SAID FLUIDSPREADING SURFACE PORTION OF SAID EACH MEMBER AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT BY AN AMOUNT PREDETERMINEDLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID ONE SHEET LOCATED THEREBETWEEN AND DEFORMING EACH OF SAID SHEETS BETWEEN SAID ELEMENT AND ONE OF SAID PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS TO PROVIDE A SPACE BETWEEN SAID EACH SHEET AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT, SPREADING ONE OF SAID FLUID PROCESSING AGENTS IN A THIN LAYER OF PREDETERMINED THICKNESS WITHIN SAID SPACE BETWEEN SAID EACH SHEET AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT FOR PERMEATION INTO ONE OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS, THEREAFTER MAINTAINING SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSITION WITH SAID LAYERS OF FLUID LOCATED BETWEEN SAID SHEETS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ELEMENT FOR A PROCESSING PERIOD OF PREDETERMINED DURATION, DURING SAID PROCESSING PERIOD, REACTING SAID FLUID WITH SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER TO FORM A VISIBLE TRANSFER IMAGE IN A LAYER COMPRISING EACH OF SAID SHEETS, THE LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS BEING LOCATED EXTERIOR OF THE SANDWICH COMPRISING SAID ELEMENT AND SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS AND, AT THE END OF SAID PERIOD, WITHDRAWING SAID ELEMENT FROM BETWEEN SAID SHEETS AND SAID LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS CONTAINING SAID VISIBLE IMAGES AND REMOVING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS FROM SAID LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS AND FROM BETWEEN SAID SHEETS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF SIMULTANEOUSLY TREATING AT LEAST TWO EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIAL LAYERS ARRANGED IN FACING RELATION AND EACH INCLUDING A LATENT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE AND EACH COMPRISING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A SUBSTANTIALLY FLEXIBLE SHEET, WITH AT LEAST TWO FLUID PROCESSING AGENTS TO PRODUCE TWO VISIBLE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES SAID METHOD COMPRISING INTRODUCING A SUBSTANTIALLY INFLEXIBLE SHEETLIKE ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID FLEXIBLE SHEETS IN SUPERPOSITION WITH SAID EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS, THE LATTER BEING DISPOSED INNERMOST ADJACENT SAID ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS FLEXIBLE THAN SAID SHEETS, PROVIDING A QUANTITY OF ONE OF SAID FLUID AGENTS BETWEEN EACH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT. EACH OF SAID FLUID AGENTS BEING CAPABLE WHEN PERMEATED INTO ONE OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS OF DEVELOPING THE LATENT IMAGE THEREIN TO PRODUCE A VISIBLE IMAGE ON SAID SHEET COMPRISING SAID ONE PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER, MOVING SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSED RELATION RELATIVE TO AND BETWEEN A PAIR OF PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A FLUID-SPREADING SURFACE PORTION JUXTAPOSED WITH THE OTHERAND A PAIR OF COOPERATING PORTIONS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FLUID-SPREADING SURFACE PORTION, DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS, CAUSING EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF COOPERATING PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID MEMBERS TO ENGAGE ONE OF SAID SHEETS AND SPACE APART SAID FLUIDSPREADING SURFACE PORTION OF SAID EACH MEMBER AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT BY AN AMOUNT PREDETERMINEDLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID ONE SHEET LOCATED THEREBETWEEN AND DEFORMING EACH OF SAID SHEETS BETWEEN SAID ELEMENT AND ONE OF SAID PRESSURE-APPLYING MEMBERS TO PROVIDE A SPACE BETWEEN SAID EACH SHEET AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT, SPREADING ONE OF SAID FLUID PROCESSING AGENTS IN A THIN LAYER OF PREDETERMINED THICKNESS WITHIN SAID SPACE BETWEEN SAID EACH SHEET AND A SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT FOR PERMEATION INTO ONE OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS, THEREAFTER MAINTAINING SAID SHEETS AND SAID ELEMENT IN SUPERPOSITION WITH SAID LAYERS OF FLUID LOCATED BETWEEN SAID SHEETS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ELEMENT FOR A PROCESSING PERIOD OF PREDETERMINED DURATION, DURING SAID PROCESSING PERIOD, REACTING SAID FLUID WITH SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYER TO FORM A VISIBLE TRANSFER IMAGE IN A LAYER COMPRISING EACH OF SAID SHEETS, THE LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS BEING LOCATED EXTERIOR OF THE SANDWICH COMPRISING SAID ELEMENT AND SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS AND, AT THE END OF SAID PERIOD, WITHDRAWING SAID ELEMENT FROM BETWEEN SAID SHEETS AND SAID LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS CONTAINING SAID VISIBLE IMAGES AND REMOVING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE LAYERS FROM SAID LAST-MENTIONED LAYERS AND FROM BETWEEN SAID SHEETS.