Photographic spirit duplicating process

Claim 1

A METHOD OF FORMING A PRINTING MASTER, ADAPTED TO PRODUCE DIRECT READING POSITIVE COPIES OF A DIRECT READING POSITIVE ORIGINAL TO BE COPIED IN A SPIRIT DUPLICATING PROCESS, BY THE STEPS COMPRISING: (1) PHOTOGRAPHICALLY EXPOSING TO THE ORIGINAL TO BE COPIED A SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER TO FORM IN SAID LAYER A LATENT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF SAID ORIGINAL; (2) DEVELOPING SAID EXPOSED EMULSION LAYER IN THE PRESENCE OF A TANNING DEVELOPING AGENT TO FORM IN SAID LAYER A DEVELOPED PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF SAID ORIGINAL, THE AREAS OF SAID LAYER WHEREIN THE SILVER HALIDE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO A SILVER IMAGE EXHIBITING GREATER GELATIN HARDNESS THAN THE REMAINDER THEREOF; (3) PRESSING SAID EXPOSED AND DEVELOPED EMULSION LAYER WHILE MOIST FROM SAID DEVELOPING STEP 2, AND WITH THE DEVELOPED AND UNDEVELOPED AREAS THEREOF INTACT AND IN AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP DIRECTLY AGAINST A HECTOGRAPHIC DYE-CONTAINING LAYER OF A HECTOGRAPHIC DYE SHEET, SAID DYE LAYER BEING FREE OF PROTECTIVE COATING, AND (4) SEPARATING SAID EMULSION LAYER AND DYE SHEETS WITH SIMULTANEOUS TRANSFER OF A PORTION OF SAID EMULSION LAYER IN THE UNHARDENED AREAS THEEOF ONTO SAID DYE SHEET AND OF A PORTION OF THE DYE-CONTAINING LAYER ONTO THE HARDENED AREAS OF SAID EMULSION LAYER.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF FORMING A PRINTING MASTER, ADAPTED TO PRODUCE DIRECT READING POSITIVE COPIES OF A DIRECT READING POSITIVE ORIGINAL TO BE COPIED IN A SPIRIT DUPLICATING PROCESS, BY THE STEPS COMPRISING: (1) PHOTOGRAPHICALLY EXPOSING TO THE ORIGINAL TO BE COPIED A SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER TO FORM IN SAID LAYER A LATENT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF SAID ORIGINAL; (2) DEVELOPING SAID EXPOSED EMULSION LAYER IN THE PRESENCE OF A TANNING DEVELOPING AGENT TO FORM IN SAID LAYER A DEVELOPED PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF SAID ORIGINAL, THE AREAS OF SAID LAYER WHEREIN THE SILVER HALIDE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO A SILVER IMAGE EXHIBITING GREATER GELATIN HARDNESS THAN THE REMAINDER THEREOF; (3) PRESSING SAID EXPOSED AND DEVELOPED EMULSION LAYER WHILE MOIST FROM SAID DEVELOPING STEP 2, AND WITH THE DEVELOPED AND UNDEVELOPED AREAS THEREOF INTACT AND IN AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP DIRECTLY AGAINST A HECTOGRAPHIC DYE-CONTAINING LAYER OF A HECTOGRAPHIC DYE SHEET, SAID DYE LAYER BEING FREE OF PROTECTIVE COATING, AND (4) SEPARATING SAID EMULSION LAYER AND DYE SHEETS WITH SIMULTANEOUS TRANSFER OF A PORTION OF SAID EMULSION LAYER IN THE UNHARDENED AREAS THEEOF ONTO SAID DYE SHEET AND OF A PORTION OF THE DYE-CONTAINING LAYER ONTO THE HARDENED AREAS OF SAID EMULSION LAYER.