Diffusion transfer processes and elements using or containing inert transitional metal complex oxidizing agents

Claim 2

In a photographic image-transfer film unit comprising (1) a support having thereon at least one layer containing a silver halide emulsion having associated therewith an image dye-providing material, (2) an image dye-receiving layer containing an image dye mordant and (3) means for discharging an alkaline processing solution within said film unit, the improvement wherein said film unit comprises (a) a silver halide developing agent and (b) a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergo redox reaction in the presence of metallic silver, and which are substantially inert to said redox reaction in the absence of a metal or chalcogen catalyst.

Claim 3

A photographic film unit as described in claim 1 wherein said image dye-providing material is an immobile compound capable of providing an imagewise distribution of dye as a function of reaction with the oxidation product of said silver halide developing agent and said transition metal ion complex is a water-soluble metal ion complex.

Claim 4

A photographic film unit as described in claim 2 wherein said image dye-providing compound contains a preformed dye which can be released from said compound as a function of oxidation thereof to provide a diffusible image dye.

Claim 5

A photographic film unit as described in claim 2 which contains at least three separate layers which contain a silver halide emulsion, each having associated therewith an image dye-providing material.

Claim 6

A photographic film unit as described in claim 1 wherein said image dye-providing material is an initially mobile material which is capable of providing an imagewise distribution of said initially mobile material as a function of oxidation thereof or reaction with the oxidized form of said silver halide developing agent.

Claim 7

A photographic film unit as described in claim 5 wherein said image dye-providing material contains a preformed dye.

Claim 8

A photographic film unit as described in claim 5 wherein said image dye-providing material comprises an image dye precursor.

Claim 9

A photographic element as described in claim 5 wherein said image dye-providing material is a color coupler.

Claim 10

A photographic element as described in claim 1 wherein said transition metal ion complex is a cobalt(III) ion complex having a coordination number of 6.

Claim 11

A photographic element as described in claim 1 wherein said silver halide emulsion has associated therewith at least a 40 percent stoichiometric excess of said image dye-providing material based on silver in said layer.

Claim 12

A photographic image-transfer film unit comprising (1) a support having thereon at least two separate image dye-providing layer units, each of which contains a photographic silver halide having associated therewith an image dye-providing material in at least a 40 percent stoichiometric excess based on silver, (2) an image-receiving layer containing an image dye mordant, (3) a liquid processing composition adapted to be discharged within said film unit, and (4) a silver halide developing agent and a positively charged insert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergo redox reaction in the presence of metallic silver and wherein said reducing agent and said oxidizing agent exhibit substantially no redox reaction when dissolved at a .01 molar concentration in an inert solvent at 20° C.

Claim 13

A photographic image-transfer film unit comprising (1) a support having thereon at least two separate image dye-providing layer units, each of which contains a photographic silver halide having associated therewith an image dye-providing material in at least a 40 percent stoichiometric excess based on silver, (2) an image-receiving layer containing an image dye mordant, (3) a liquid processing composition adapted to be discharged within said film unit, and (4) a silver halide developing agent and a positively charged insert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergo redox reaction in the presence of metallic silver and wherein said reducing agent and said oxidizing agent exhibit substantially no redox reaction when dissolved at a .01 molar concentration in an inert solvent at 20° C.

Claim 14

A film unit as described in claim 11 wherein said silver halide is present in each of said layer units in a concentration of less than 30 mg./ft. 2 .

Claim 15

A film unit as described in claim 11 which comprises at least three image dye-providing layer units which contain said silver halide emulsion at a coverage of less than 30 mg./ft. 2 and which layer units contain a magenta image dye-providing material, a cyan image dye-providing material and a yellow image dye-providing material, respectively.

Claim 16

A film unit as described in claim 11 wherein said transition metal ion complex is present in at least an equimolar concentration based on the silver content of two of said layer units.

Claim 17

A film unit as described in claim 11 wherein said silver halide developing agent is a pyrazolidone compound.

Claim 18

A film unit as described in claim 11 wherein said inert transition metal ion complex is present in said film unit in a concentration to provide at least 0.1 mg./ft. 2 based on said metal.

Claim 19

A film unit according to claim 16 wherein said inert transition metal ion complex is a cobalt(III) ion complex.

Claim 20

A film unit according to claim 11 wherein said silver halide is present in each of said layer units in a concentration of less than 30 mg./ft. 2 , and said inert transition metal ion complex is a cobalt(III) ion complex.

Claim 21

A film unit according to claim 18 wherein said image dye-providing material is a compound of the formula: Q-(Imagant) wherein Imagant is an image dye or image dye precursor, and Q is (a) a silver halide developing agent or (b) an oxidizable releasing group.

Claim 22

A photographic film unit comprising: a. a photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer, each said layer having associated therewith a nondiffusible dye image-providing material capable of reacting with oxidized developing agent to produce a diffusible dye; b. a support having thereon an image-receiving layer; and c. a rupturable container containing an alkaline processing composition; said film unit containing an aromatic primary amino color-developing agent and a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergoes imagewise redox reaction with said developing agent in areas where metallic silver develops and which is substantially inert in areas where there is no metallic silver.

Claim 23

A photographic film unit comprising: a. a photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer, each said layer having associated therewith a nondiffusible dye image-providing material capable of reacting with oxidized developing agent to produce a diffusible dye; b. a support having thereon an image-receiving layer; and c. a rupturable container containing an alkaline processing composition; said film unit containing an aromatic primary amino color-developing agent and a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergoes imagewise redox reaction with said developing agent in areas where metallic silver develops and which is substantially inert in areas where there is no metallic silver.

Claim 24

The photographic film unit of claim 20 wherein the photosensitive portion of said photosensitive element comprises a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a cyan image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible cyan dye, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a magenta image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible magenta dye, and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a yellow image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible yellow dye, and said transition metal ion complex is a cobalt ion complex having a coordination number of 6.

Claim 25

The photographic film unit of claim 21 wherein said cobalt complex is cobalt hexammine(III) chloride.

Claim 26

A process of forming a transfer image comprising: a. imagewise-exposing a photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer, each said layer having associated therewith an image dye-providing material capable of reacting with oxidized developing agent to provide an imagewise distribution of a diffusible dye; b. treating said photosensitive element with an alkaline processing composition comprising a silver halide developing agent to effect development of each of said exposed silver halide emulsion layers with a silver halide developing agent, wherein said silver halide developing agent is in reactive association with a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergoes imagewise redox reaction with said develing agent in areas where metallic silver develops and which is substantially inert in areas where there is no metallic silver; c. providing an imagewise distribution of diffusible image dye-providing material as a function of said imagewise exposure of each said silver halide emulsion layer; and d. diffusing at least a portion of each said imagewise distributions of diffusible dye to said image-receiving layer.

Claim 27

A process of forming a transfer image comprising: a. imagewise-exposing a photosensitive element comprising a support having thereon at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer, each said layer having associated therewith an image dye-providing material capable of reacting with oxidized developing agent to provide an imagewise distribution of a diffusible dye; b. treating said photosensitive element with an alkaline processing composition comprising a silver halide developing agent to effect development of each of said exposed silver halide emulsion layers with a silver halide developing agent, wherein said silver halide developing agent is in reactive association with a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergoes imagewise redox reaction with said develing agent in areas where metallic silver develops and which is substantially inert in areas where there is no metallic silver; c. providing an imagewise distribution of diffusible image dye-providing material as a function of said imagewise exposure of each said silver halide emulsion layer; and d. diffusing at least a portion of each said imagewise distributions of diffusible dye to said image-receiving layer.

Claim 28

The process of claim 23 wherein the photosensitive portion of said photosensitive element comprises a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a cyan image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible cyan dye, a green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a magenta image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible magenta dye, and a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a yellow image dye-providing material comprising a nondiffusible coupler capable of reacting with oxidized aromatic primary amino color-developing agent to produce a diffusible yellow dye, said transition metal ion complex being a cobalt complex having a coordination number of 6.

Claim 29

The process of claim 24 wherein said cobalt complex is cobalt hexammine(III) chloride.

Claim 30

In a process for providing an image record in an imagewise-exposed image-transfer film unit which contains (a) a photographic element comprising a support having thereon at least one layer containing an image-recording means capable of providing an imagewise distribution of a catalytic material which is a zero valent metal or chalcogen of a Group VIII or 1B element and which has associated therewith an image dye-providing material having the formula: Q-(Imagant) wherein Imagant is an image dye or image-dye precursor and Q is a silver halide developing agent or an oxidizable releasing group, (b) an image-receiving layer, and (c) means for discharging an alkaline processing within said film unit, wherein said process comprises forming said imagewise distribution of said catalytic material and providing an imagewise distribution of said catalytic material and providing an imagewise distribution of diffusible dye material from said image dye-providing material which is transferred to said image-receiving layer to provide an image record therein, the improvement wherein (1) a reducing agent, which in its oxidized form will react with said image dye-providing material, and (2) a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergo redox reaction in the presence of a catalytic material which is a zero valent metal or a chalcogen of a Group VIII or 1B element and are substantially inert in the absence of said zero valent metal or chalcogen, are present in said film unit, and undergo redox reaction in the presence of said catalytic material and said image dye-providing material.

Claim 31

In a process for providing an image record in an imagewise-exposed image-transfer film unit which contains (a) a photographic element comprising a support having thereon at least one layer containing an image-recording means capable of providing an imagewise distribution of a catalytic material which is a zero valent metal or chalcogen of a Group VIII or 1B element and which has associated therewith an image dye-providing material having the formula: Q-(Imagant) wherein Imagant is an image dye or image-dye precursor and Q is a silver halide developing agent or an oxidizable releasing group, (b) an image-receiving layer, and (c) means for discharging an alkaline processing within said film unit, wherein said process comprises forming said imagewise distribution of said catalytic material and providing an imagewise distribution of said catalytic material and providing an imagewise distribution of diffusible dye material from said image dye-providing material which is transferred to said image-receiving layer to provide an image record therein, the improvement wherein (1) a reducing agent, which in its oxidized form will react with said image dye-providing material, and (2) a positively charged inert transition metal ion complex oxidizing agent capable of having at least two valence states and having a coordination number of 6, which undergo redox reaction in the presence of a catalytic material which is a zero valent metal or a chalcogen of a Group VIII or 1B element and are substantially inert in the absence of said zero valent metal or chalcogen, are present in said film unit, and undergo redox reaction in the presence of said catalytic material and said image dye-providing material.

Claim 32

A process according to claim 26 wherein said inert transition metal complex is a cobalt(III) complex with a net positive charge of 3.