Diffusion transfer color process using lactone or sultone ring containing lipophilic non-diffusing color formers which yield diffusing dyes

Claim 2

In a color diffusion transfer process carried out in a photographic film package having one or more color sensitive silver halide emulsion layers which respond to exposure by actinic radiation from different primary colors and which also contain color couplers yielding dyes of complementary colors to said different color sensitive layers, said film package being coated at a pH below 9, but preferably below pH 7, to provide a storage stable package in which color formers do not diffuse, and said package reacting with an alkaline aqueous processing and developing solution containing a p-phenylene diamine developer, the improvement comprising: a. providing as the aforesaid color coupler a waterinsoluble, transient heterocyclic 2-equivalent color coupling compound having a lactone or sultone ring, said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being resistant to splitting of said ring in alkaline aqueous solution in the absense of oxidative coupling; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being a compound of the formula: ##STR28## A is a chain of 1 to 3 atoms containing only carbon atoms in the chain or containing up to 1 nitrogen atom for chains of 2 or 3 atoms; R is attached to and satisfies the valences of the atoms in A and is independently, one or more hydrogen, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R is an aromatic radical and A is provided by two adjacent carbon atoms in an aromatic ring of R; R 1 is an activating group associated with a ketomethylene coupler; and R 2 and R 3 are independently hydrogen, halogen, cyano, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R, R 2 and A together form a benzene ring fused to the benzene ring to which A and R 2 are attached; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being incorporated in a high boiling photographically inert oil dispersion to provide droplets having substantially no water solubility and no diffusion at pH below 9, yet being responsive to said alkaline processing and developing solution at pH above 9 to allow reaction of said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound with locally oxidized p-phenylene diamine and to thereby from imagewise water soluble and diffusible dye, the water solubility and diffusibility characteristics being bestowed upon the dye by a newly formed carboxylic or sulfonic acid group as a result of ring opening in coupling position by oxidative coupling reaction, said diffusible dye being free to diffuse out into a mordanted receiving sheet, b. exposing said package in imagewise fashion and c. after exposing developing said package in an alkaline processing solution having a pH above 9 and containing a p-phenylene diamine developer and in contiguous contact with said mordanted receiving sheet.

Claim 3

A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein a negative color transfer image is created by utilizing negative silver halide emulsions to form imagewise the oxidized p-phenylene diamine for diffusible dye generation.

Claim 4

A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transient heterocyclic color coupling compounds are incorporated in the light sensitive silver halide layers.

Claim 5

A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein a direct positive transfer image is created by utilizing direct positive silver halide emulsions to form imagewise the oxidized p-phenylene diamine for diffusible dye generation.

Claim 6

In a color diffusion transfer process carried out in a package containing one or more photosensitive silver halide emulsion layers containing scavenging color former and developable to the negative record of an actinic image of one primary color, each said layer having a separate companion layer containing physical development nuclei together with a colorless color providing color coupler which produces a diffusible positive record of the complementary color via physical development of non-negative record silver ion crossing from the photosensitive layer for diffusion to a receiving sheet or layer, the improvement comprising: a. providing as a scavenging color former a non-diffusing 4-equivalent coupler which couples with and removes from further action the oxidized p-phenylene diamine developer produced in the development of the negative record, said coupled product being non-diffusing, b. providing as the aforesaid color coupler a waterinsoluble, transient heterocyclic 2-equivalent color coupling compound having a lactone or sultone ring, said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being resistant to splitting in alkaline aqueous solution in the absense of oxidative coupling; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being a compound of the formula: ##STR29## A is a chain of 1 to 3 atoms containing only carbon atoms in the chain or containing up to 1 nitrogen atom for chains of 2 or 3 atoms; R is attached to and satisfies the valences of the atoms in A and is independently, one or more hydrogen, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R is an aromatic radial and A is provided by two adjacent carbon atoms in an aromatic ring of R; R 1 is an activating group associated with a ketomethylene coupler; and R 2 and R 3 are independently hydrogen, halogen, cyano, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R, R 2 and A together form a benzene ring fused to the benzene ring to which A and R 2 are attached; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being incorporated in a high boiling photographically inert oil dispersion to provide droplets having substantially no water solubility and no diffusion at pH below 9, yet being responsive to said alkaline processing and developing solution at pH above 9 to allow reaction of said transient heterocyclic coupler compound with locally oxidized p-phenylene diamine provided by physical development of the non-negative silver ion record crossing from the photosensitive layer and to thereby form imagewise water soluble and diffusible dye, the water solubility and diffusibility characteristics being bestowed upon the dye by a newly formed carboxylic or sulfonic acid group as a result of ring opening in coupling position by oxidative coupling reaction, said diffusible dye being free to diffuse out into a mordanted receiving sheet, c. exposing said package, d. processing said exposed package in an alkaline processing solution having a pH above 9 and containing a p-phenylene diamine developer and a silver halide solvent contiguous with the presence of a receiving layer or sheet.

Claim 7

In a color diffusion transfer process carried out in a package containing one or more photosensitive silver halide emulsion layers containing scavenging color former and developable to the negative record of an actinic image of one primary color, each said layer having a separate companion layer containing physical development nuclei together with a colorless color providing color coupler which produces a diffusible positive record of the complementary color via physical development of non-negative record silver ion crossing from the photosensitive layer for diffusion to a receiving sheet or layer, the improvement comprising: a. providing as a scavenging color former a non-diffusing 4-equivalent coupler which couples with and removes from further action the oxidized p-phenylene diamine developer produced in the development of the negative record, said coupled product being non-diffusing, b. providing as the aforesaid color coupler a waterinsoluble, transient heterocyclic 2-equivalent color coupling compound having a lactone or sultone ring, said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being resistant to splitting in alkaline aqueous solution in the absense of oxidative coupling; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being a compound of the formula: ##STR29## A is a chain of 1 to 3 atoms containing only carbon atoms in the chain or containing up to 1 nitrogen atom for chains of 2 or 3 atoms; R is attached to and satisfies the valences of the atoms in A and is independently, one or more hydrogen, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R is an aromatic radial and A is provided by two adjacent carbon atoms in an aromatic ring of R; R 1 is an activating group associated with a ketomethylene coupler; and R 2 and R 3 are independently hydrogen, halogen, cyano, an aliphatic radical or an aromatic radical, or R, R 2 and A together form a benzene ring fused to the benzene ring to which A and R 2 are attached; said transient heterocyclic color coupling compound being incorporated in a high boiling photographically inert oil dispersion to provide droplets having substantially no water solubility and no diffusion at pH below 9, yet being responsive to said alkaline processing and developing solution at pH above 9 to allow reaction of said transient heterocyclic coupler compound with locally oxidized p-phenylene diamine provided by physical development of the non-negative silver ion record crossing from the photosensitive layer and to thereby form imagewise water soluble and diffusible dye, the water solubility and diffusibility characteristics being bestowed upon the dye by a newly formed carboxylic or sulfonic acid group as a result of ring opening in coupling position by oxidative coupling reaction, said diffusible dye being free to diffuse out into a mordanted receiving sheet, c. exposing said package, d. processing said exposed package in an alkaline processing solution having a pH above 9 and containing a p-phenylene diamine developer and a silver halide solvent contiguous with the presence of a receiving layer or sheet.

Claim 8

A process set forth as in claim 5 wherein said package contains two or more photosensitive layers and their companion color providing layers wherein the concentration of silver halide solvent is limited to that amount which will transport the non-negative record silver ion to the nearby complementary color producing layer and not to a more remote color producing layer properly companion to another photosensitive layer.

Claim 9

A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-(2-carboxy-1-phenyl)-ethyl hydroquinone lactone.

Claim 10

A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-(2-carboxypheny)-4-hydroxy-5-oxo-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline lactone.

Claim 11

A process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-carbethoxy-4-hydroxyisocoumarin.

Claim 12

A process as set forth in claim 5 wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-(2-carboxy-1-phenyl)-ethyl hydroquinone lactone.

Claim 13

A process as set forth in claim 5 wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-(2-carboxyphenyl)-4-hydroxy-5-oxo-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline lactone.

Claim 14

A process as set forth in claim 5 wherein the cyclized 2-equivalent color coupler is 3-carbethoxy-4-hydroxyisocoumarin.

Claim 15

The process according to claim 1, wherein R 1 is cyano, acyl, alkoxyacyl or aminoacyl and R 2 and R 3 are hydrogen, chloro, bromo, alkyl, alkoxy, aliphatic or aromatic acylamino, phenyl, phenoxy, or phenyl substituted by halo, cyano, alkyl, alkoxy, phenyl or phenoxy.

Claim 16

The process according to claim 5, wherein R 1 is cyano, acyl, alkoxyacyl or aminoacyl and R 2 and R 3 are hydrogen, chloro, bromo, alkyl, alkoxy, aliphatic or aromatic acylamino, phenyl, phenoxy, or phenyl substituted by halo, cyano, alkyl, alkoxy, phenyl or phenoxy.