Photographic processes

Claim 1

A PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES, IN THE ORDER STATED, THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS OF: (A) EXPOSING, IMAGEWISE, TO ACTINIC RADIATION, A PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT CONTAINING SILVER HALIDE CRYSTALS MADE RELATIVELY LESS SOLUBLE IN A SILVER HALIDE SOLVENT BY TREATMENT WITH AN ORGANIC COMPOUND CAPABLE OF FORMING A SILVER SALT AND WHOSE SILVER SALT IS OF LOWER SOLUBILITY IN WATER THAN SILVER CHLORIDE, AND (B) PRIOR TO ANY REDUCING STEP TREATING SAID ELEMENT WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SILVER HALIDE SOLVENT, THEREBY EFFECTING SOLUBILIZATION OF THE SILVER HALIDE IN THE MORE EXPOSED AREAS AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN IN THE LESS EXPOSED AREAS UNTIL A POSITIVE IMAGE COMPRISED OF SILVER HALIDE IS PRODUCED; SAID ORGANIC COMPOUND BEING PRESENT IN SUCH AN AMOUNT, IN TERMS OF THE RATIO OF ITS WEIGHT TO THE SURFACE AREA OF THE SILVER HALIDE CRYSTALS, THAT WHEN ADMIXED IN SUCH RATIO WITH AN AQUEOUS SILVER CHLOROBROMIDE DISPERSION, 70/30 MOLE PERCENT, GELATIN EMULSION CONTAINING 0.29 MG. OF AG IN ONE-HALF ML., AND SAID SILVER CHLOROBROMIDE DISPERSION IS TREATED WITH 10% BY WEIGHT AQUEOUS SODIUM THIOSULFATE, SO THAT THE RESULTING MIXTURE CONTAINS 0.29 MG. OF AG AND 100 MG. OF SODIUM THIOSULFATE, AT LEAST THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF SILVER CHLOROBROMIDE REMAINS UNDISSOLVED AS COMPARED WITH A SIMILAR DISPERSION SUCCESSIVELY TREATED WITH 5% BY WEIGHT AQUEOUS SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE AND 10% BY WEIGHT AQUEOUS SODIUM THIOSULFATE, SO THAT THE RESULTING MIXTURE CONTAINS 0.29 MG. OF AG, 25 MG. OF SODIUM HYPOCHLORITEAND 100 MG. OF SODIUM THIOSULFATE, AFTER VIGOROUS AGITATION OF BOTH DISPERSIONS FOR 30 SECONDS AT 25*C.