Process for the production of polymer images

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR THE FORMATION OF A POLYMER IMAGE WHICH COMPRISES EXPOSING A PHOTOGRAPHIC SILVER HALIDE EMULSION SO AS TO PROVIDE A LATENT IMAGE AND SUBSEQUENTLY, DEVELOPING SAID LATENT IMAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF ONE MONOMER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A VINYLIDENE MONOMER AND VINYL MONOMER, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AT LEAST ONE REDUCING AGENT COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THOSE REPRESENTED BY THE FOLLOWING FORMULAS: I. A-NAPHTHOL OR A DERIVATIVE THEREOF

Claim 3

The process of claim 1, wherein said polymerization reaction is conducted in the presence of a small amount of a quaternary salt having a heteroaromatic ring including at least 1 nitrogen atom or having an aliphatic amine, said quaternary salt having the following formulae (III) or (IV):

Claim 4

The process of claim 2, wherein the formed polymer iMage is dyed by a dye.

Claim 5

A process for the formation of a polymer image as in claim 2, wherein said developing agent having the following general formula (I) or (II):

Claim 6

The process of claim 4, wherein said quaternary salt is a quaternary salt of pyridine.

Claim 7

The process of claim 5, wherein said quaternary salt is pyridinium chloride.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1, wherein the formed polymer image is dyed by a dye.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein dying is accomplished by the affinity of the dye for the formed polymer.

Claim 10

The process of claim 7, wherein the dye has a charge opposite to the charge of said formed polymer.

Claim 11

A process for the formation of a polymer image as in claim 9 wherein said thus-formed polymer image is further dyed by a dye having a charge opposite to the charge of said polymer when said polymer image is electrolytically dissociated or combined with a hydrogen cation. 11.. The process of claim 10, wherein said polymer stems from a vinyl compound capable of providing a negative charge to said polymer, said compound being a member selected from the group consisting of a vinyl compound having a carboxyl group, a vinyl compound having a metal salt or an ammonium salt of a carboxylic acid, a vinyl compound having a sulfonic acid group, and a vinyl compound having a metal salt or an ammonium salt of sulfonic acid.

Claim 12

The process of claim 10, wherein said polymer stems from a vinyl compound capable of providing positive charges to said polymer, said compound being selected from the group consisting of a vinyl compound having a basic nitrogen atom and a vinyl compound having a quaternary nitrogen salt.

Claim 13

The process of claim 12, wherein said vinyl compound may be joined with a water-soluble addition polymerizable vinyl compound having no charge.

Claim 14

The process of claim 10, wherein said dye is an acid dye selected from the group consisting of Acid Yellow No. 7, Acid Yellow No. 23, Acid Red No. 1, Acid Red No. 52, Acid Blue No. 9, Acid Blue No. 45, Acid Blue No. 62, and Acid Violet No. 7.

Claim 15

The process of claim 10, wherein said dye is a basic dye selected from the group consisting of Basic Yellow No. 1, Basic Yellow No. 2, Basic Red No. 1, Basic Red No. 2, Basic Blue No. 25, Basic Violet No. 3, and Basic Violet No. 10.

Claim 16

A process for the formation of a polymer image as in claim 1, wherein said compound is selected from the group consisting of Alpha -naphthol, 1-naphthol-2-potassium sulfonate, 1-naphthol-4-sodium sulfonate, 1-naphthol-5-sodium sulfonate, Beta -naphthol, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoaldehyde, 2-naphthol-1-sodium sulfonate, 2-naphthol-6-sodium sulfonate, 2-naphthol-7-sodium sulfonate, 2-naphthol-8-sodium sulfonate, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoic acid, m-N-(2-hyroxy-3-naphthoyl)phenylenediamine, Beta -(2-hydroxy-3-naphthoyl)aminoethanol, Alpha -nitroso Beta -naphthol, naphtholorange, 1-( Alpha -hydroxy-2-naphthylazo)-5-nitro-2-naphthol-4-sodium sulfonate 2,3-naphthalenediol, 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene-6-sodium sulfonate, 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene, 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene, 1,7-dihydroxy-6-naphthoic acid, Alpha -naphthylamine, Beta -diethylaminoethyl-Alpha -naphthylamine, thionalide, 2-naphthylamine-8-sodium sulfonate, 2-naphthylamine-4,8-disodium sulfonate, 1,2-naphthalenediamine, 1,5-nAphthalenediamine, 2-amino-8-naphthol-3, 6-disulfonic acid, 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sodium sulfonate, 1-amino-5-naphthol 5-methaacryloylamino-1-naphthol, 8-oxyquinolin, 4,8-dihydroxy-quinolin-2-carboxylic acid, 4-hydroxyquinolin-2-carboxylic acid, 1-naphthol-3-sulfonamide sodium, 2,4-dichloro-1-naphthol, and 2,3-diaminonaphthalene.

Claim 17

A process for the formation of a polymer image as in claim 1, wherein said monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, acrylonitrile, N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide, N-t-butylacrylamide, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, calcium acrylate, sodium acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, vinyl pyrrolidone, dicyclopentadiene methacrylate vinyl butyrate, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 2-methyl-N-vinylimidazole, potassium vinylbenzene sulfonate, vinyl carbazole, N,N''-methylene-bis-acrylamide, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, divinylbenzene, bisphenol A dimethacrylate, butylene dimethacrylate, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, pentaerythrito tetraacrylate, and the like.

Claim 18

The process of claim 1, wherein said silver halide emulsion consists of a dispersion system in which particles of silver halide are dispersed in a solution of high molecular weight polymer selected from the group consisting of gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, carboxymethyl cellulose, oxyethyl ether, and dextrane, or mixtures of the aforementioned compounds.

Claim 19

The process of claim 1, wherein said sulfite ions stem from a precursor which is a member selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal sulfites, ammonium sulfite, pyrosulfites, of alkaline metals, ammonium pyrosulfites, and aldehyde bisulfites.

Claim 20

The process of claim 19, wherein said aldehyde bisulfite is a member selected from the group consisting formaldehyde bisulfite and glyoxal bisulfite.

Claim 21

The process of claim 1, wherein the amount of sulfite ions present is greater than 0.2 mol per liter of reaction system.

Claim 22

The process of claim 1, wherein said process is carried out at a pH greater than 6.

Claim 23

The process of claim 1, wherein said process is carried out at a pH greater than 7.

Claim 24

The process of claim 1, which further comprises the addition of an effective amount of a thermal polymerization inhibitor to prevent the spontaneous overall thermal polymerization of the vinyl monomer.

Claim 25

The process of claim 24, wherein said inhibitor is a member selected from the group consisting of p-methoxyphenol, hydroquinone, an alkyl hydroquinone, and 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol.

Claim 26

The process of claim 24, wherein said amount of polymerization inhibitor ranges from 1/100,000 to 2/100 of the weight of the vinyl monomer.

Claim 27

The process of claim 1, wherein said vinyl monomer is present in an amount of from 1.30 to 30 times the weight of the high molecular weight compound which is originally present in the emulsion.

Claim 28

The process of claim 27, wherein said vinyl monomer is present in an amount of from one-fourth to 4 times the weight of the high molecular weight compound originally present in the emulsion.

Claim 29

The process of claim 1, wherein the silver halide is present in an amount of from 1.20 to 2 times the amount of the high molecular weight compound originally present in the system.

Claim 30

The process of claim 1, wherein said silver halide is present in an amount of from 1/10 to one-half times the amount of the high molecular weight compound originally present in the system.

Claim 31

The process of claim 1, further comprising the presence of a reducing agent in an amount of from one one-thousandths to 20 mols per mol of silver halide.

Claim 32

The process of claim 1, wherein said naphthol, naphthylamine, or oxyquinoline is present in an amount of from one two-thousandths to 5 mols per liter of processing solution.

Claim 33

The process of claim 1, wherein said naphthol, naphthylamine or oxyquinoline is present in an amount of from one one-hundredth to 1 mol per liter of processing solution.