Process for regenerating blixing solution for color photographic processing

Claim 2

IN THE BLIXING OF COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS USING A BLIXING SOLUTION, AN IMPROVED PROCESS OF REGENERATING USED BLIXING SOLUTION WHICH COMPRISES: MAINTAINING THE SILVER SALT CONCENTRATION, EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF SILVER IONS, AT LEVEL LESS THAN ABOUT 10G/LITER IN THE BLIXING SOLUTION AND THEREAFTER ADDING COMPONENTS TO THE USED BLIXING SOLUTION TO MAKE UP FOR THOSE IN THE BLIXING PROCESSING WITHOUT REMOVING SILVER SALT FROM THE USED BLIXING SOLUTION, THEREBY PROVIDING A COMPOSITION AT LEAST EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF THE BLIXING SOLUTION PRIOR TO USE FOR BLIXING ADDITIONAL COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS, WHEREIN SAID MAINTAINING IS ACCOMPLISHED BY SUBJECTING THE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS, AFTER COLOR DEVELOPMENT, TO FIXING PRIOR TO BLIXING TO PRELIMINARILY REMOVE A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SOLUBLE SILVER SALT FROM THE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS OR WHEREIN SAID MAINTAINING OF THE AMOUNT OF SILVER SALT IS OBTAINED BY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF COATED SILVER IN THE INITIAL COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS TO BELOW 2.0G/M2.

Claim 3

The process as set forth in claim 1 in which said blixing solution contains (a) at least one member from the group consisting of a ferric complex salt of an aminopolycarboxylic acid, a cobalt (III) complex salt of a polyammine, a cobalt (III) complex salt of nitrous acid, and a water-soluble ferric salt as a bleaching agent; and (b) a thiosulfate as a fixing agent.

Claim 4

The process as set forth in claim 1 in which the color photographic materials are, after color development, subjected to fixing prior to blixing to preliminarily remove a substantial portion of soluble silver salt from the color photographic materials.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 in which the maintaining is conducted by reducing the amount of coated silver in the initial color photographic materials to below 2.0g/m2.

Claim 6

The process of claim 2 wherein the blixing solution comprises a bleaching agent and a fixing agent each present in an amount of from about 5 to about 200 g / l of blixing solution, and components are added to the spent blixing solution so as to maintain these ranges during blixing.

Claim 7

The process of claim 3 wherein fixing is conducted so as to reduced the amount of silver carried into the blixing solution to about 1/4 to about 1/6 of the total amount of silver present in the color photographic material.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein the absolute amount of silver entering the blixing solution is less than about 2 g/m2 of color photographic material processed.

Claim 9

The process of claim 5 wherein the components which are added to the blix solution to make up for those used in the blixing processing are added in an amount of from 1.0 to 1.6 times the amount present in the blix solution, thereby at least maintaining the concentration of the components in the blix solution.

Claim 10

The process of claim 8 wherein the components are added in an aqueous solution at a rate of from about 200 to about 1250 cc/m2 of color photographic material process.

Claim 11

In the process of color photographic materials, an improved process of regenerating a blixing solution which consists essentially of: a. maintaining the amount of silver salt expressed as silver ion reacted in the blixing solution at a value less than 10 g/l of blixing solution; b. removing spent blixing solution from the blixing treatment and regenerating the spent blixing solution by adding thereto make up components in an amount at least equal to the components of the blixing solution consumed in the blixing operation to provide a composition at least equivalent to that of the initial blixing solution composition, without removing silver salt from the blixing solution; c. returning the regenerated blixing solution of step (b) to the blixing treatment for the processing of additional color photograhpic materials; d. repeating steps (b) - (c) while observing the condition recited in step (a), wherein said maintaining is accomplished by subjecting the color photogrAphic materials after color development, to fixing prior to blixing to preliminarily remove a substantial portion of soluble silver salt from the color photographic materials or wherein said maintaining of the amount of silver salt is obtained by reducing the amount of coated silver in the initial color photographic materials to below 2.0g/m2.

Claim 12

In the process of color photographic materials, an improved process of regenerating a blixing solution which consists essentially of: a. maintaining the amount of silver salt expressed as silver ion reacted in the blixing solution at a value less than 10 g/l of blixing solution; b. removing spent blixing solution from the blixing treatment and regenerating the spent blixing solution by adding thereto make up components in an amount at least equal to the components of the blixing solution consumed in the blixing operation to provide a composition at least equivalent to that of the initial blixing solution composition, without removing silver salt from the blixing solution; c. returning the regenerated blixing solution of step (b) to the blixing treatment for the processing of additional color photograhpic materials; d. repeating steps (b) - (c) while observing the condition recited in step (a), wherein said maintaining is accomplished by subjecting the color photogrAphic materials after color development, to fixing prior to blixing to preliminarily remove a substantial portion of soluble silver salt from the color photographic materials or wherein said maintaining of the amount of silver salt is obtained by reducing the amount of coated silver in the initial color photographic materials to below 2.0g/m2.

Claim 13

The process of claim 10 wherein the regenerated blixing solution returned to the blixing treatment contains from about 1.0 to about 1.6 times an amount of bleaching agent and fixing agent present in the blixing bath, on a unit volume basis, and the regenerated blixing solution is returned to the blixing treatment in an amount of from about 200 to about 1250 cc/m2 of color photographic material subjected to the blixing treatment.

Claim 14

The process of claim 11 wherein the blixing bath comprises from about 5 to about 200 g / l of bleaching agent and from about 5 to about 200 g / l of fixing agent.

Claim 15

The process of claim 10 wherein condition (a) is maintained by fixing prior to blixing.

Claim 16

The process of claim 13 wherein condition (a) is maintained by processing a color photographic material without fixing, which color photographic material initially contained coated silver in an amount less than 2.0 g/m2.