Novel photographic products and processes

Claim 2

A photographic product as defined in claim 1 wherein said layer including said cross-linking agent comprises a gelatino layer.

Claim 3

A photosensitive element including at least one light-sensitive silver halide layer having a dye image-providing material associated therewith, a dimensionally stable support carrying a neutralizing layer prepared by coating an aqueous solution of a water-soluble, cross-linkable copolymer of a vinyl acid and a vinyl aldehyde and thereafter removing said aqueous solvent; and between said support and said neutralizing layer a contiguous layer including a non-diffusible, proteinaceous material which is a cross-linking agent for said copolymer, said copolymer being cross-linked and thereby hardened at least at the interface between said neutralizing layer and said contiguous layer.

Claim 4

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 4 including a dyeable stratum adapted for forming a color image by diffusion transfer.

Claim 5

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 5 wherein said dyeable stratum is disposed between said silver halide strata and associated dye image-providing material and said neutralizing layer.

Claim 6

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 4 wherein said copolymer comprises a copolymer of a vinyl carboxylic acid and a vinyl carboxylic acid aldehyde.

Claim 7

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 4 wherein said contiguous layer comprises a gelatin-containing layer.

Claim 8

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 4 wherein said neutralizing layer includes gelatin.

Claim 9

In an integral negative-positive film unit including a negative component comprising at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a dye image-providing material associated therewith, a positive component including at least a dyeable stratum, means for applying a reflecting layer between said positive and negative components in an amount sufficient upon development of said film unit to mask effectively said negative component and to provide a background for viewing a color image imparted to said dyeable stratum of said positive component by reflected light by applying an aqueous alkaline processing fluid to said film unit after exposure thereof, said film unit further including a dimensionally stable transparent support carrying a neutralizing layer for lowering the environmental pH subsequent to application of said alkaline processing fluid; the improvement wherein said neutralizing layer comprises a water soluble, cross-linkable copolymer of a vinyl acid and a vinyl aldehyde applied from an aqueous coating solution of a water-soluble cross-linkable acidic polymer; and positioned between said neutralizing layer and said support is a layer contiguous with said neutralizing layer including a non-diffusible, proteinaceous material which is a cross-linking agent for said copolymer so that said water-soluble copolymer is cross-linked at least at the interface between said neutralizing layer and said layer including said cross-linking agent.

Claim 10

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said neutralizing layer is disposed on the side of said dyeable stratum opposed from said negative component.

Claim 11

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein a timing layer is disposed between said dyeable stratum and said neutralizing layer.

Claim 12

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said negative component includes a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion having a cyan dye image-providing material associated therewith, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion having a magenta dye image-providing material associated therewith and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion having a yellow dye image-providing material associated therewith.

Claim 13

A film Unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said dye image-providing materials are initially soluble or diffusible in said aqueous alkaline processing fluid but are selectively rendered non-diffusible in an imagewise pattern as a function of development.

Claim 14

A film unit as defined in claim 10 including means for applying said aqueous alkaline processing fluid to develop said film unit.

Claim 15

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said negative and positive components are confined between a pair of support members, at least the support member associated with the positive component being transparent.

Claim 16

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said positive and negative components are confined on a transparent support member associated with said positive component.

Claim 17

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for applying a reflecting layer comprises a layer of a white pigment disposed in a layer between said positive and negative components.

Claim 18

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for applying a reflecting layer comprises a white pigment dispersed in said processing fluid.

Claim 19

A film unit as defined in claim 10 wherein said copolymer comprises a copolymer of vinyl carboxylic acid and a vinyl carboxylic acid aldehyde.

Claim 20

A film unit as defined in claim 20 wherein said neutralizing layer further contains a proteinaceous cross-linking agent.

Claim 21

A photosensitive element including a composite structure containing, as essential layers, in sequence, a dimensionally stable alkaline solution impermeable opaque layer, a layer containing a cyan dye developer, a red-sensitive gelatino silver halide emulsion layer, a layer containing a magenta dye developer, a green-sensitive gelatino silver halide emulsion layer, a layer containing a yellow dye developer, a blue-sensitive gelatino silver halide emulsion layer, a dyeable stratum, a neutralizing layer comprising a cross-linkable copolymer of a vinyl acid and a vinyl aldehyde which is water-soluble in its noncross-linked form, said copolymer providing acid in an amount sufficient to effect reduction of a processing solution having a first pH at which said dye developers are soluble and diffusible to a second pH at which said dye developers are substantially insoluble and non-diffusible, a layer including a proteinaceous material which is cross-linking agent for said copolymer, said copolymer in said neutralizing layer being cross-linked at least at the interface between said neutralizing layer and said layer including said cross-linking agent, a dimensionally stable alkaline solution impermeable transparent layer, means securing at least the side edges of said opposed layers in fixed relationship, and a rupturable container retaining an aqueous alkaline processing solution having said first pH and containing dispersed therein a white inorganic pigment in a quantity sufficient to mask effectively said silver halide layers and any dye developer associated therewith after development and to provide a background for viewing a diffusion transfer image formed by development of said film unit, by reflected light, through said transparent layer, said rupturable container being fixedly positioned and extending transverse a leading edge of said photosensitive element so as to be capable of effecting unidirectional discharge of the container''s contents between said dyeable stratum and said blue-sensitive emulsion layer upon application of compressive force to said container.

Claim 22

A photosensitive element as defined in claim 22 wherein said water-soluble acidic polymer comprises a copolymer of a vinyl carboxylic acid and a vinyl carboxylic acid aldehyde.

Claim 23

A film unit as defined in claim 23 wherein the ratio of vinyl acid to vinyl aldehyde is at least 85:15.

Claim 24

A film unit as defined in claim 23 wherein said neutralizing layer also includes gelatin.

Claim 25

A film unit as defined in claim 24 wherein said layer including said cross-linking agent comprises a gelatincontainiNg layer.

Claim 26

A film unit as defined in claim 22 wherein said cyan dye developer is a phthalocyanine dye developer; said magenta dye developer is a 1:1 chrome-complexed azo dye developer; and said yellow dye developer is a 1:1 chromecomplexed azomethine dye developer.

Claim 27

A film unit as defined in claim 27 including a timing layer disposed between said dyeable stratum and said neutralizing layer.

Claim 28

A process for forming a visible image in color comprising the steps of exposing a photosensitive element as defined in claim 5 to form a developable image and thereafter applying an aqueous alkaline processing composition to said exposed element to form said color image.

Claim 29

A process for forming a color transfer image comprising the steps of exposing a film unit as defined in claim 10 to form a developable image and thereafter applying an aqueous alkaline processing composition to develop said image and to form, as a function of development, an imagewise distribution of dye image-providing material which is transferred, at least in part, by diffusion, to said dyeable stratum to impart thereto a color transfer image viewable, without separation, by reflected light as a positive color reflection print.