Photo-platemaking process and apparatus therefor

Claim 2

A PHOTO-PLATEMAKING PROCESS FOR MAKING PRINTING PLATES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF:

Claim 3

IMAGE-WISE EXPOSING A PLATE SUBSTANCE FOR MAKING A PHOTOPLATE, WHICH PLATE SUBSTANCE CONSISTS OF A HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR A HYDROPHILIC LAYER PROVVIDED ON AN OLEOPHILIC SUPPORT AND CONTAINING THEREIN SILVER DEPOSITING NUCLEI FOR A DDIFFUSION TRANSFER PROCESS AND A SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER SUPERIMPOSED THEREON, AND THEN DEVELOPING THE EXPOSED PLATE SUBSTANCE TO FORM A POSITIVE SILVER IMAGE ON THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR ON THE HYDROPHILIC LAYER,

Claim 4

IMAGE-WISE EXPOSING A PLATE SUBSTANCE FOR MAKING A PHOTOPLATE, WHICH PLATE SUBSTANCE CONSISTS OF A HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR A HYDROPHILIC LAYER PROVVIDED ON AN OLEOPHILIC SUPPORT AND CONTAINING THEREIN SILVER DEPOSITING NUCLEI FOR A DDIFFUSION TRANSFER PROCESS AND A SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER SUPERIMPOSED THEREON, AND THEN DEVELOPING THE EXPOSED PLATE SUBSTANCE TO FORM A POSITIVE SILVER IMAGE ON THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR ON THE HYDROPHILIC LAYER,

Claim 5

WASHING THE DEVELOPED PLATE SUBSTANCE WITH WATER TO REMOVE THE SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER,

Claim 6

WASHING THE DEVELOPED PLATE SUBSTANCE WITH WATER TO REMOVE THE SILVER HALIDE EMULSION LAYER,

Claim 7

washing the developed plate substance with water to remove the silver halide emulsion layer,

Claim 8

washing the developed plate substance with water to remove the silver halide emulsion layer,

Claim 9

The process of claim 1 where the hydrophilic materials have a contact angle with water less than 45*C and the oleophilic support has a contact angle with water greater than 45*, at normal temperature.

Claim 10

The process of claim 2 where the oleophilic support is a cellulose ester.

Claim 11

subjecting the hydrophilic surface part or the hydrophilic layer to an etch-bleaching treatment to thereby deteriorate the hydrophilic surface part which corresponds to the silver image,

Claim 12

subjecting the hydrophilic surface part or the hydrophilic layer to an etch-bleaching treatment to thereby deteriorate the hydrophilic surface part which corresponds to the silver image,

Claim 13

SUBJECTING THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR THE HYDROPHILIC LAYER TO AN ETCH-BLEACHING TREATMENT TO THEREBY DETERIORATE THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE SILVER IMAGE,

Claim 14

SUBJECTING THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR THE HYDROPHILIC LAYER TO AN ETCH-BLEACHING TREATMENT TO THEREBY DETERIORATE THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE SILVER IMAGE,

Claim 15

SUBJECTING THE PRODUCT OF STEP (3) TO AN AFTER TREATMENT WHICH IS CONDUCTED WITH EITHER A 0.1 TO 20% BY WEIGHT SOLUTION OF KSCN, BASED ON ONE LITER OF AFTER TREATMENT, AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 5* TO ABOUT 80*C, OR WITH A SOLUTION OF A DYESTUFF WHICH IS A DIRECT DYE, BASIC DYE, NAPHTHOL DYE, OR ACID WITH AN ANIONIC SUBSTITUENT OF A SULFONIC GROUP, SULFINIC GROUP, -CO2//2- GROUP, -CS2**2GROUP OR CARBOXYL GROUP, AND WHEREBY THE DYESTUFF IS PHYSICALLY ADSORBED TO THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR HYDROPHILIC LAYER, WHREBY THE RESIDUES OF AY ETCHEDBLEACHED PORTIONS ARE MADE BRITTLE AND FRAGILLE AND,

Claim 16

SUBJECTING THE PRODUCT OF STEP (3) TO AN AFTER TREATMENT WHICH IS CONDUCTED WITH EITHER A 0.1 TO 20% BY WEIGHT SOLUTION OF KSCN, BASED ON ONE LITER OF AFTER TREATMENT, AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 5* TO ABOUT 80*C, OR WITH A SOLUTION OF A DYESTUFF WHICH IS A DIRECT DYE, BASIC DYE, NAPHTHOL DYE, OR ACID WITH AN ANIONIC SUBSTITUENT OF A SULFONIC GROUP, SULFINIC GROUP, -CO2//2- GROUP, -CS2**2GROUP OR CARBOXYL GROUP, AND WHEREBY THE DYESTUFF IS PHYSICALLY ADSORBED TO THE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE PART OR HYDROPHILIC LAYER, WHREBY THE RESIDUES OF AY ETCHEDBLEACHED PORTIONS ARE MADE BRITTLE AND FRAGILLE AND,

Claim 17

subjecting the product of step (3) to an after treatment which is conducted with either a 0.1 to 20% by weight solution of KSCN, based on one liter of after treatment, at a temperature from about 5* to about 80*C, or with a solution of a dyestuff which is a direct dye, basic dye, naphthol dye, or acid with an anionic substituent of a sulfonic group, sulfinic group, -CO22- group, -CS22- group or carboxyl group, and whereby the dyestuff is physically adsorbed to the hydrophilic surface part or hydrophilic layer, whereby the residues of any etched-bleached portions are made brittle and fragile, and

Claim 18

subjecting the product of step (3) to an after treatment which is conducted with either a 0.1 to 20% by weight solution of KSCN, based on one liter of after treatment, at a temperature from about 5* to about 80*C, or with a solution of a dyestuff which is a direct dye, basic dye, naphthol dye, or acid with an anionic substituent of a sulfonic group, sulfinic group, -CO22- group, -CS22- group or carboxyl group, and whereby the dyestuff is physically adsorbed to the hydrophilic surface part or hydrophilic layer, whereby the residues of any etched-bleached portions are made brittle and fragile, and

Claim 19

The process of claim 1 where the total thickness of the oleophilic support and the hydrophilic surface part or layer is from about 80 to about 300 Mu .

Claim 20

The process of claim 4 where the hydrophilic surface part or layer is about 0.1 to about 30 Mu thick.

Claim 21

removing the residues.

Claim 22

removing the residues.

Claim 23

REMOVING THE RESIDUES.

Claim 24

REMOVING THE RESIDUES.

Claim 25

The process of claim 1 where the silver depositing nuclei are present only in hydrophilic materials.

Claim 26

The process of claim 1 where development is with a diffusion transfer developer comprising a developing agent and a solvent for dissolving silver halide.

Claim 27

The process of claim 7 where etch-bleaching is with an aqueous etch-bleaching bath comprising an oxidizing agent.

Claim 28

The process of claim 8, wherein said oxidizing agent is peroxosulfate, peroxodisulfate or hydrogen peroxide.

Claim 29

The process of claim 1, wherein said dyestuff is an acid dye and said after treatment is carried out at a temperature of 50* to 90*C.

Claim 30

The process of claim 1, wherein said dyestuff is present in an amount greater than 0.01% by weight of the solution, the pH is alkaline, and the temperature is 2* to 90*C, the treatment period being 5 seconds to 5 minutes.

Claim 31

The process of claim 11, wherein the concentration is 0.5 to about 5%, the pH is 7 to 11, and the temperature is 10* to 50*C.

Claim 32

The process of claim 1, wherein said solution of said dyestuff is an aqueous solution containing also from 2 to 60% based on the solution weight of an organic solvent which is miscible with water.

Claim 33

The process of claim 13, wherein said organic solvent is present in an amount from 2 to 20%.