Photographic medium having a binder-free silver halide layer and methods of preparing same

Claim 2

AN IMAGE RECORDING MEDIUM COMPRISING A SUBSTRATE ELEMENT HAVING A SURFACE PROVIDING A RECORDING AREA, A PHOTOGRAPHIC LAYER OF VAPOR DEPOSITED PHOTOSENSITIVE SILVER HALIDE MICROCRYSTALS IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS PHASE SUPPORTED UPON SAID ELEMENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING THE EXTENT OF SAID AREA, SAID LAYER BEING ADHERED DIRECTLY TO SAID SUBSTRATE AND SAID MICROCRYSTALS BEING COHERED DIRECTLY TO EACH OTHER, SAID LAYER HAVING A DENSITY LESS THAN THAT OF SAID HALIDE IN SOLID CRYSTALLINE FORM, SAID LAYER BEING A FRACTION OF A MICRON IN THICKNESS AND THE SURFACE PORTION OF SAID LYAER OVER SAID AREA IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE SUBSTRATE ELEMENT HAVING BEEN TREATED WITH A SENSITIZING MATERIAL TO PROVIDE AN INCREASED PHOTOGRAPHIC SENSITIVITY FOR SAID SURFACE PORTION.

Claim 3

A PHOTOGRAPHIC METHOD OF FORMING MULTIPLE IMAGES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A PHTOTGRAPHIC MEDIUM BY DISTRIBUTING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM STRATUM OF FIRST CHEMICAL SENSITIZING MATERIAL ONTO A SUBSTRATE, CONDENSING A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS MASS OD CONTIGUOUS MICROCRYSTALS OF SILVER HALIDE FROM THE VAPOR STATE THEREOF IN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM BINDER-FREE LAYER OVERLYING SAID STRATUM, TREATING THE OPEN SURFACE OF SAID LAYER WITH A SECOND CHEMICAL SENSITIZING MATERIAL, EXPOSING SAID MEDIUM TO FORM A DEVELOPABLE LATENT IMAGE THEREIN, DEVELOPING WITH A SURFACE DEVELOPER THE SENSITIZED OPEN SURFACE OF SAID LAYER TO FORM A SURFACE SILVER IMAGE, TRANSFERRING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID SURFACE IMAGE BY ADHESION TO A TRANSFER SHEET TO LEAVE SAID MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SILVER IMAGE, AND DEVELOPING SAID MEDIUM WITH A DEVELOPER CONTAINING A SILVER-HALIDE SOLVENT TO FORM A SECOND SILVER IMAGE AT THE SURFACE OF SAID LAYER PREVIOUSLY SENSITIZED WITH SAID FIRST MATERIAL.

Claim 4

A PHOTOGRAPHIC METHOD OF FORMING MULTIPLE IMAGES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A PHTOTGRAPHIC MEDIUM BY DISTRIBUTING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM STRATUM OF FIRST CHEMICAL SENSITIZING MATERIAL ONTO A SUBSTRATE, CONDENSING A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS MASS OD CONTIGUOUS MICROCRYSTALS OF SILVER HALIDE FROM THE VAPOR STATE THEREOF IN A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM BINDER-FREE LAYER OVERLYING SAID STRATUM, TREATING THE OPEN SURFACE OF SAID LAYER WITH A SECOND CHEMICAL SENSITIZING MATERIAL, EXPOSING SAID MEDIUM TO FORM A DEVELOPABLE LATENT IMAGE THEREIN, DEVELOPING WITH A SURFACE DEVELOPER THE SENSITIZED OPEN SURFACE OF SAID LAYER TO FORM A SURFACE SILVER IMAGE, TRANSFERRING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID SURFACE IMAGE BY ADHESION TO A TRANSFER SHEET TO LEAVE SAID MEDIUM SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SILVER IMAGE, AND DEVELOPING SAID MEDIUM WITH A DEVELOPER CONTAINING A SILVER-HALIDE SOLVENT TO FORM A SECOND SILVER IMAGE AT THE SURFACE OF SAID LAYER PREVIOUSLY SENSITIZED WITH SAID FIRST MATERIAL.