Photographic processes compositions and products

Claim 2

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said diffusible complex of silver halide is transferred by diffusion from said exposed and developing areas of said silver halide emulsion layer to a superposed Stratum containing said film-forming material.

Claim 3

The method as defined in claim 3, wherein said stratum of film-forming material is separated from said exposed silver halide emulsion layer after an image-forming quantity of said diffusible complex of silver halide has been transferred to said stratum.

Claim 4

The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the image formed by said transfer of said diffusible complex of silver halide is capable of absorbing ultraviolet light, and including the steps of positioning a second photosensitive layer in photoexposure relationship with said separated stratum containing said ultraviolet light absorbing image while said stratum is still wet and without reduction of said transferred complex to silver, said second photosensitive layer being exposable by ultraviolet light, and passing ultraviolet light through said still wet stratum containing said transferred complex of silver halide, thereby forming a developable image on said second photosensitive layer, said developable image being negative with respect to said imagewise distribution of silver halide complex and to said latent image.

Claim 5

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said diffusible complex of silver halide is transferred by diffusion to a silver receptive stratum in superposed relationship with said exposed silver halide emulsion layer, and said silver receptive stratum containing a silver precipitating agent, thereby forming a visible silver image on said silver receptive stratum.

Claim 6

The method as defined in claim 4, including the step of drying said separated stratum, whereby said transferred complex of silver halide is precipitated out of solution without being reduced to silver, thereby forming a visible image in said stratum, said image being visible by reflected or transmitted light.

Claim 7

The method as defined in claim 4, including the step of pressing said separated stratum containing said transferred silver complex, while said stratum is still wet, into contact with a silver receptive stratum, said silver receptive stratum containing a silver precipitating agent, and maintaining said separated stratum and said silver receptive stratum in contact until a silver image is formed on said silver receptive stratum, said silver image being positive with respect to said imagewise distribution of transferred silver complex.

Claim 8

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said first silver halide complexing agent is sodium thiosulfate.

Claim 9

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said first silver halide complexing agent is potassium thiosulfate.

Claim 10

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said second silver halide complexing agent is 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole.

Claim 11

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said second silver halide complexing agent is 4-ethyl-2-thio-oxazoline.

Claim 12

The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said solution contains at least one silver halide developing agent selected from the group consisting of hydroquinone, 4-N-methylamino-phenol, ascorbic acid, isoascorbic acid, 2,6-dimethyl-4-amino-phenol, toluhydroquinone, 2,6-dimethyl-hydroquinone, 2-methyl-4-amino-6-methoxy-phenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-4-amino-phenol, 2,5-dimethyl-hydroquinone, 2,4,6-triamino-phenol, 2,4-diamino-phenol, N,N-diethyl-hydroxylamine, N,N-dimethoxyethyl-hydroxylamine, and 4,6-diamino-ortho-cresol.

Claim 13

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said processing solution includes a silver-precipitating agent, and said silver receptive stratum comprises a stratum formed by solidification of a layer of said film-forming material containing said silver precipitating agent.

Claim 14

A silver diffusion transfer process comprising the steps of photoexposing a silver halide emulsion to form a latent image therein; applying a processing composition to said photoexposed silver halide emulsion, said processing composition containing a film-forming, viscosity-increasing Polymeric material, and providing a silver halide developing agent, an alkali and a silver halide solvent, said processing composition containing, when applied to said photoexposed silver halide emulsion, a substantial concentration of a mercapto compound capable of forming a relatively insoluble silver complex with silver halide, said concentration of said mercapto compound being an amount which in combination with said silver halide solvent is effective to prevent the formation of a soluble silver complex from unexposed silver halide grains but is effective to dissolve silver halide where incipient development occurs; initiating development of exposed silver halide and forming in said developing exposed areas a soluble, diffusible silver complex, and transferring an imagewise distribution of said diffusible silver complex to a silver receptive stratum containing a silver precipitating agent and positioned in superposed relationship with said photoexposed silver handle emulsion; the silver transfer image formed on said silver receptive stratum being a positive image with respect to the latent image formed by said photoexposure and a negative image with respect to the photographed subject matter; and maintaining said photoexposed silver halide emulsion and said silver receptive stratum in superposed relationship until said negative silver transfer image is formed.

Claim 15

A process as defined in claim 15, wherein said mercapto compound is 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole.

Claim 16

A process as defined in claim 16, wherein said 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole is present in a concentration of at least 1 gram per liter of said processing composition.

Claim 17

A process as defined in claim 17, wherein said photoexposed silver halide emulsion and said silver receptive stratum are maintained in said superposed relationship for at least 2 minutes.

Claim 18

A process as defined in claim 15, wherein said processing composition contains silver precipitating nuclei, and said silver receptive stratum is provided by solidification of a layer of said processing composition.

Claim 19

A process as defined in claim 15, wherein said processing composition is applied to said photoexposed silver halide emulsion by spreading said composition in a thin layer between said photoexposed silver halide emulsion and said silver receptive stratum as said layer and said stratum are brought into said superposed relationship.

Claim 20

The process as defined in claim 1, wherein the layer containing said silver halide emulsion also contains, prior to exposure, a silver precipitating agent, and including the step of reducing said dissolved silver halide substantially in situ with the developed latent image, thereby forming in said silver halide emulsion layer a negative silver image of substantially greater density and contrast.

Claim 21

The process as defined in clam 1, wherein the dissolved silver halide is removed from said exposed silver halide emulsion layer, and, without prior fixing, the exposed and developed silver halide emulsion layer is thereafter exposed to light, whereby a positive silver image is formed in said exposed and developed emulsion layer by development of silver halide exposed by said second exposure.

Claim 22

The process as defined in claim 1, wherein the dissolved silver halide is removed from said exposed silver halide emulsion layer, and, without further exposure, said emulsion layer thereafter is fixed, thereby providing a negative silver image in said emulsion layer.

Claim 23

A photographic process comprising photoexposing a silver halide emulsion and applying to said exposed silver halide emulsion an aqueous processing composition to provide in said exposed silver halide emulsion an aqueous solution comprising a silver halide developing agent, an alkali, and a silver halide solvent, said processing solution containing a compound normally being capable of forming a complex with said silver halide, which complex is less soluble than said silver halide, saId compound being present in a quantity sufficient to so adjust the relative rates of developability and solubility of a given silver halide grain that the rate at which silver halide is dissolved becomes much greater in exposed grains where incipient development occurs than in grains where development does not occur, initiating development of exposed silver halide grains and thereby dissolving exposed silver halide grains more rapidly than unexposed silver halide grains.

Claim 24

The process as defined in claim 24, wherein an imagewise distribution of dissolved silver halide is formed from exposed grains, and said imagewise distribution is transferred, by diffusion, to a stratum in superposed relationship with said silver halide emulsion.

Claim 25

A process as defined in claim 24 wherein said complexing compound is a mercaptan and is present in said silver halide emulsion prior to exposure.

Claim 26

A process as defined in claim 24 wherein said complexing compound is a mercaptan and is present in said processing composition when it is applied to said silver halide emulsion.

Claim 27

The process as defined in claim 25, wherein said superposed stratum contains a silver precipitating agent, whereby said transferred dissolved silver halide is reduced to provide a negative silver transfer image.

Claim 28

A process for forming an image by diffusion transfer, comprising applying to an exposed silver halide emulsion an aqueous processing composition comprising an alkali, a silver halide developing agent, a silver halide solvent and a compound capable of restraining development by forming a relatively insoluble silver salt, said compound being present in a concentration substantially greater than a development restraining quantity and effective to prevent solution of unexposed silver halide grains, initiating development of exposed grains of silver halide and thereby forming a diffusible complex with silver halide of developing silver halide grains, and transferring said diffusible complex to a stratum in superposed relationship with said silver halide emulsion to provide an image in said stratum.

Claim 29

A process as defined in claim 29, wherein said superposed stratum contains a silver precipitating agent, and said transferred silver halide complex is reduced to form an image in silver.

Claim 30

A process as defined in claim 30, wherein said transfer image has a negative scale.

Claim 31

A process as defined in claim 30, wherein said transfer image has a positive scale.

Claim 32

A process as defined in claim 30, wherein said transfer image has both a positive and a negative scale.

Claim 33

A diffusion transfer process comprising the steps of subjecting a silver halide emulsion to a predetermined exposure to form a latent image therein, developing exposed silver halide with processing composition comprising an alkali, a silver halide developing agent, a first silver halide complexing agent which is a silver halide solvent and capable of forming a soluble silver complex, and a second silver halide complexing agent capable of forming a relatively insoluble silver complex with silver halide, each of said first and second silver halide complexing agents being present in a quantity effective in combination with each other to form an imagewise distribution of a transferable diffusible complex of silver halide substantially only with silver halide of incipiently developing grains of exposed silver halide, the quantity of transferable diffusible silver halide complex formed from a given exposed and developing grain being proportional to the mass of said grain and to the exposure received by said grain, transferring at least a portion of said imagewise distribution of diffusible silver complex to a superposed silver-receptive stratum containing a silver precipitating agent, and reducing said transferred silver complex to silver to provide a visible image in said silver-receptive stratum.

Claim 34

A process as defined in claim 34, wherein said silver halide emulsion includes a plurality of sets of silver halide grains, The grains of each said set being of substantially like sensitivity whereby the grains of a given set are exposable within substantially the same exposure range, each said set being exposable by a different exposure range.

Claim 35

A process as defined in claim 35, wherein said silver halide emulsion contains at least three of said sets of silver halide grains, and said predetermined exposure is effective to expose less than all of said sets of silver halide grains.

Claim 36

A process as defined in claim 35, wherein said predetermined exposure is at an exposure range whose minimum will render at least some grains developable and whose maximum is the exposure at which the maximum number of grains are rendered developable, whereby said silver transfer image has a negative scale.

Claim 37

A process as defined in claim 35, wherein said predetermined exposure is at a range whose minimum is the exposure at which the maximum number of grains are rendered developable, whereby said silver transfer image has a positive scale.

Claim 38

A process as defined in claim 35, wherein the grain sensitivity distribution curve of said silver halide emulsion is bell-shaped.

Claim 39

A process as defined in claim 37, including the step of extending the length of the negative scale of said silver transfer image by including in said silver halide emulsion at least one additional set of lower sensitivity grains.

Claim 40

A photographic process comprising the steps of exposing a photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer to form a latent image therein, developing said latent image with a processing composition comprising a silver halide developing agent, an alkali, a silver halide solvent and a development solubilization promoter, said silver halide solvent and said development solubilization promoter each being present in a concentration effective in combination with each other to cause incipiently developing exposed silver halide grains to be preferentially dissolved in said processing composition to provide only in exposed and developing areas of said silver halide emulsion an imagewise distribution of a diffusible complex of silver halide, and transferring said diffusible complex by diffusion to a different locus to provide a photographic image.

Claim 41

A process as defined in claim 41, wherein said development solubilization promoter is a compound containing a mercapto grouping selected from the group consisting of said compound being present in an amount effective, in combination with said silver halide solvent, to more rapidly dissolve developing silver halide grains than nondeveloping silver halide grains.

Claim 42

A process as defined in claim 42, wherein said silver halide solvent is potassium thiosulfate.