Direct positive image forming method comprising developing with a combination of nucleating agents

Claim 2

A direct positive image forming method comprising development processing an imagewise exposed photographic light-sensitive material comprising a support having thereon at least one photographic emulsion layer containing internal latent image type silver halide grains not having been previously fogged in the presence of a nucleating agent, wherein the nucleating agent comprises at least two kinds of nucleating agents and the ratio of nucleating rates thereof is at least 2.0.

Claim 3

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of nucleating rates is form 2 to 10,000.

Claim 4

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ratio of nucleating rates is from 3 to 5,000.

Claim 5

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the ratio of nucleating rates is from 4 to 1,000.

Claim 6

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nucleating agents are selected from the compounds represented by the general formulae [N-I] and [N-II]: ##STR19## wherein Z represents a non-metallic atomic group necessary for forming a substituted or unsubstituted 5-membered or 6-membered heterocyclic ring; R 1 represents a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic group, R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic group, or a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group; provided that at least one of R 1 , R 2 and Z contains an alkynyl group, an acyl group, a hydrazine group or a hydrazone group, or R 1 and R 2 together form a 6-membered ring to complete a dihydropyridinium skeleton; Y represents a counter ion necessary for charge balance; and n is 0 or 1; (a) at least one of the substituents of (b) R 1 , R 2 and Z may contain the group X 1 (L 1 ) m , in which X 1 represents a group capable of accelerating absorption onto a silver halide grain, L 1 represents a divalent linking group and m is 0 or 1; ##STR20## wherein R 21 represents an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group; R 22 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group or an amino group; G represents a carbonyl group, a sulfonyl group, a sulfoxy group, a phosphoryl group or an iminomethylene group ##STR21## and R 23 and R 24 both represent a hydrogen atom, or one of R 23 and R 24 represents a hydrogen atom and the other represents an alkylsulfonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group or an acyl group and G, R 23 and R 24 together with the hydrazine nitrogens may form a hydrozone structure ##STR22##

Claim 7

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nucleating agents are present in the photographic light-sensitive material.

Claim 8

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the nucleating agents are present in an internal latent image type silver halide emulsion layer.

Claim 9

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nucleating agents are present in a processing solution.

Claim 10

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal latent image type silver halide emulsion is a core/shell type silver halide emulsion.

Claim 11

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photographic light-sensitive material contains a color coupler.

Claim 12

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the imagewise exposed photographic light-sensitive material is subjected to development with a surface developer containing an aromatic primary amine color developing agent after or during a fogging treatment by means of light or a nucleating agent, followed by bleach processing and fixing processing.

Claim 13

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a pH of the color developing solution is not more than 11.5.

Claim 14

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photographic light-sensitive material further contains a nucleation accelerating agent.

Claim 15

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the nucleation accelerating agent is present in an internal latent image type silver halide emulsion layer or a layer adjacent thereto.

Claim 16

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a nucleation accelerating agent is present in a processing solution.

Claim 17

A direct positive image forming method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the nucleation accelerating agent is present in a developing solution or a bath prior thereto.