Process for utilizing a photoprinting article and method for making said article

Claim 1

IN A PAROCESS WHEREIN A RELATIVELY THIN FLAT METALLIC SHEET IS COATED WITH A LIGHT SENSITIVE MATERIAL, A DESIGN IN PHOTOPRINTED ON SAID LIGHT SENSITIVE MATERIAL BY USE OF A MASTER IN CONTACT WITH SAID COATED METALLIC SHEET AND CONTACT IS ESTABLISHED BY USE OF VACUUM PRINTING FRAMES AND PORTIONS OF SAID COATING ARE RENDERED SELECTIVELY REMOVABLE BY SAID PHOTOPRINTING STEP AND A DESIGN IS THEREAFTER ETCHED IN SAID SHEET, AND WHEREIN A MASTER IS BOUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SHEET WHEREIN SAID MASTER CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF: A BASE OF A TRANSPARENT SHEET HAVING AT LEAST ONE ESSENTIALLY PLANAR SURFACE THAT DESCRIBES A FIRST PLANE, A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING CONFIGURATION OF EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC EMULSION MATERIAL, SAID CONFIGURATION SPACED IN A PREDETERMINED PATTERN TO THEREBY OCCUPY DESIGNATED PORTIONS OF SAID PLANAR SURFACE OF SAID BASE, AND A SOLID PROTECTIVE COATING FORMED OVER SAID PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING CONFIGURATIONS AND PORTIONS OF SAID PLANAR SURFACE OF SAID BASE UNOCCUPIED BY SAID UPSTANDING CONFIGURATIONS OF SAID EMULSION MATERIAL, SAID CONFIGURATIONS AND SAID COATING THEREBY PROVIDING A GAS ESCAPEMENT MEANS WHEN SAID PHOTOGRAPHIC MASTER AND SAID FLAT METALLIC SHEET ARE IN CONTACT.

Claim 4

A method for making a photographic master useful in a photoetching process wherein said photographic master is brought into contact with a flat metallic sheet, said method comprising: mating a base of a transparent sheet having a coating of unexposed photographic emulsion material thereon with a standard master and projecting light through said standard master onto said coating to thereby produce a pattern of exposed emulsion material; subjecting said base with said pattern of exposed emulsion material to a photographic developing solution to thereby darken said pattern of exposed emulsion material; subjecting said base with said darkened pattern of emulsion material to a photographic stop bath solution to prohibit further developing action of said developing solution; subjecting said base with said darkened pattern of emulsion material to a photographic reversing solution to thereby remove said darkened pattern of emulsion material from said base, thereby leaving a plurality of upstanding configurations of unexposed emulsion material on said base; projecting light onto said upstanding configurations of unexposed emulsion material to thereby expose said upstanding configurations; subjecting said base with said exposed upstanding configurations of emulsion material to said photographic developing solution to thereby darken said upstanding configurations of emulsion material; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to said photographic stop bath solution to prohibit further developing action of said developing solution; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to a photographic hardening solution; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to a rinse to remove said hardening solution; heating said base with said darkened upstanding configurations for a predetermined period of time; and coating said base and said darkened upstanding configurations of emulsion material with a solid protective coating.

Claim 5

A method for making a photographic master useful in a photoetching process wherein said photographic master is brought into contact with a flat metallic sheet, said method comprising: mating a base of a transparent sheet having a coating of unexposed photographic emulsion material thereon with a standard master and projecting light through said standard master onto said coating to thereby produce a pattern of exposed emulsion material; subjecting said base with said pattern of exposed emulsion material to a photographic developing solution to thereby darken said pattern of exposed emulsion material; subjecting said base with said darkened pattern of emulsion material to a photographic stop bath solution to prohibit further developing action of said developing solution; subjecting said base with said darkened pattern of emulsion material to a photographic reversing solution to thereby remove said darkened pattern of emulsion material from said base, thereby leaving a plurality of upstanding configurations of unexposed emulsion material on said base; projecting light onto said upstanding configurations of unexposed emulsion material to thereby expose said upstanding configurations; subjecting said base with said exposed upstanding configurations of emulsion material to said photographic developing solution to thereby darken said upstanding configurations of emulsion material; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to said photographic stop bath solution to prohibit further developing action of said developing solution; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to a photographic hardening solution; subjecting said base with said darkened upstanding configurations to a rinse to remove said hardening solution; heating said base with said darkened upstanding configurations for a predetermined period of time; and coating said base and said darkened upstanding configurations of emulsion material with a solid protective coating.