Color imaging process using laser exposure to achieve subtle color density gradations

Claim 2

A process for forming an image, comprising the steps of: modulating a plurality of light sources adapted to emit a corresponding plurality of light beams having different narrow band wavelengths in accordance with image data, writing the image in a silver halide color photosensitive material having on a support a plurality of dye image forming layers using the modulated light beams, each layer providing a dye image having a different color by development and exhibiting a highest sensitivity at a different wavelength from that exhibited by the other layers, and developing said silver halide color photosensitive material, wherein the writing in at least one of the dye image forming layers comprises exposing a dye image forming layer (A) using a light source providing a highest spectral sensitivity to another dye image forming layer (B) within the exposing range of the layer (A) so that the color density difference, corresponding to a minimum change of a modulation control of an exposure quantity of said light source, created in the layer (A) by said exposure and development is less than visual threshold, and wherein said exposing range of the layer (A) is the exposure quantity range in which the color density created by exposure using a light source providing a highest spectral sensitivity to the layer (A) and development varies greater than the visual threshold with respect to a minimum change of a modulation control of an exposure quantity.

Claim 3

An image forming process according to claim 1 wherein said photosensitive material has at least a yellow dye-forming layer, a magenta dye-forming layer and a cyan dye-forming layer on the support, said plurality of light sources are at least three laser light sources having different wavelengths, and modulation of said plurality of light sources is carried out in accordance with a signal conversion scheme computed from red, green and blue components of the image data, respectively.

Claim 4

An image forming process according to claim 2 wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through a coupling reaction with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, and in the absorption spectrum profile of the photosensitive material provided on color generation of monochromatic magenta, the following relationship is met: K(br)≦0.56 or K(rr)≦0.18 where the photosensitive material uses a reflective support, or K(bt)≦0.44 or K(rt)≦0.09 where the photosensitive material uses a transparent support.

Claim 5

An image forming process according to claim 2 wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through coupling reaction with an oxidized form or an aromatic primary amine developing agent, said compound being represented by the general formula (I): ##STR7## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group and a phenoxy group, Y is a hydrogen atom or a coupling-off radical, and Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of methine, methine substituted by an alkyl group, methine substituted by a phenyl group, ═N--, and --NH--, and form a five-membered azole ring containing two to four nitrogen atoms.

Claim 6

An image forming process according to claim 4, wherein R represents an alkyl group substituted by a phenoxy group or a phenoxy group substituted by a methoxy group.

Claim 7

An image forming process according to claim 4, wherein Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of (1) a methine group which is substituted with an alkyl group, said alkyl group being substituted with a ballast group, and (2) a methine group which is substituted with a phenyl group, said phenyl group being substituted with a ballast group.

Claim 8

A process for forming an image according to claim 1 wherein said visual threshold is 0.005 as a density difference.

Claim 9

A process for forming a color image, comprising the steps of: modulating a plurality of light sources in accordance with image data, writing the image using said plurality of light sources in a silver halide color photosensitive material having on a support photosensitive emulsion layers including at least a yellow dye image forming layer, a magenta dye image forming layer and a cyan dye image forming layer, and developing said silver halide color photosensitive material, wherein said plurality of light sources includes at least three laser light sources emitting three respective laser beams, each laser beam having a different wavelength, modulation of said plurality of light sources is carried out in accordance with a signal conversion scheme computed from red, green, and blue components of the image data, respectively, at least one laser light source is capable of creating a latent image in plural photosensitive emulsion layers upon sole exposure thereto to provide dye images having different color by development, and the setting of the wavelength of the corresponding laser beam of the laser light source and/or the spectral sensitivity distribution of the photosensitive emulsion layers is adjusted in such a way that within the exposure range of the photosensitive emulsion layer having the highest spectral sensitivity among said plural photosensitive emulsion layers upon sole exposure to said laser light source which is capable of creating a latent image, at least one dye image having complementary color to a color of a dye image of said photosensitive emulsion layer having the highest spectral sensitivity, is additionally generated in one of the other emulsion layers so as to provide a gradation.

Claim 10

A process for forming a color image, comprising the steps of: modulating a plurality of light sources in accordance with image data, writing the image using said plurality of light sources in a silver halide color photosensitive material having on a support photosensitive emulsion layers including at least a yellow dye image forming layer, a magenta dye image forming layer and a cyan dye image forming layer, and developing said silver halide color photosensitive material, wherein said plurality of light sources includes at least three laser light sources emitting three respective laser beams, each laser beam having a different wavelength, modulation of said plurality of light sources is carried out in accordance with a signal conversion scheme computed from red, green, and blue components of the image data, respectively, at least one laser light source is capable of creating a latent image in plural photosensitive emulsion layers upon sole exposure thereto to provide dye images having different color by development, and the setting of the wavelength of the corresponding laser beam of the laser light source and/or the spectral sensitivity distribution of the photosensitive emulsion layers is adjusted in such a way that within the exposure range of the photosensitive emulsion layer having the highest spectral sensitivity among said plural photosensitive emulsion layers upon sole exposure to said laser light source which is capable of creating a latent image, at least one dye image having complementary color to a color of a dye image of said photosensitive emulsion layer having the highest spectral sensitivity, is additionally generated in one of the other emulsion layers so as to provide a gradation.

Claim 11

An image forming process according to claim 8 wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through a coupling reaction with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, and in the absorption spectrum profile of the photosensitive material provided on color generation of monochromatic magenta, the following relationship is met: K(br)≦0.56 or K(rr)≦0.18 where the photosensitive material uses a reflective support, or K(bt)≦0.44 or K(rt)≦0.09 where the photosensitive material uses a transparent support.

Claim 12

An image forming process according to claim 8 wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through a coupling reaction with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, said compound being represented by the general formula (I): ##STR8## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group and a phenoxy group, Y is a hydrogen atom or a coupling-off radical, and Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of methine, methine substituted by an alkyl group, methine substituted by a phenyl group, ═N--, and --N--, and form a five-membered azole ring containing two to four nitrogen atoms.

Claim 13

An image forming process according to claim 10, wherein Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of (1) a methine group which is substituted with an alkyl group, said alkyl group being substituted with a ballast group, and (2) a methine group which is substituted with a phenyl group, said phenyl group being substituted with a ballast group.

Claim 14

An image forming process according to claim 10, wherein R represents an alkyl group substituted by a phenoxy group or a phenoxy group substituted by a methoxy group.

Claim 15

A process for forming an image, comprising the steps of: modulating a plurality of light sources in accordance with image data, writing the image using said plurality of light sources in a silver halide color photosensitive material having on a support photosensitive emulsion layers including at least a yellow dye image forming layer, a magenta dye image forming layer and a cyan dye image forming layer, and developing said silver halide color photosensitive material, wherein modulation of said plurality of light sources is carried out in accordance with a signal conversion scheme computed from red, green, and blue components of the image data, respectively, wherein at least one light source is capable of creating a latent image in plural emulsion layers including an emulsion layer (C) exhibiting the highest spectral sensitivity to said at least one light source and another emulsion layer (D) upon sole exposure thereto and said another emulsion layer (D) provides upon development a dye image having a complementary color to a color of a dye image which said highest spectral sensitivity emulsion layer (C) provides upon development, wherein the writing in said another emulsion layer (D) comprises exposing the layer (D) using said at least one light source within the exposing range of the layer (D) so that the color density difference created by said exposure and development is less than visual threshold, and wherein said exposing range of the layer (D) is the exposure quantity range in which the color density created in the layer (D) by exposure using another light source providing a highest spectral sensitivity to the layer (D) and development varies greater than the visual threshold with respect to a minimum change of a modulation control of an exposure quantity.

Claim 16

A process for forming an image, comprising the steps of: modulating a plurality of light sources in accordance with image data, writing the image using said plurality of light sources in a silver halide color photosensitive material having on a support photosensitive emulsion layers including at least a yellow dye image forming layer, a magenta dye image forming layer and a cyan dye image forming layer, and developing said silver halide color photosensitive material, wherein modulation of said plurality of light sources is carried out in accordance with a signal conversion scheme computed from red, green, and blue components of the image data, respectively, wherein at least one light source is capable of creating a latent image in plural emulsion layers including an emulsion layer (C) exhibiting the highest spectral sensitivity to said at least one light source and another emulsion layer (D) upon sole exposure thereto and said another emulsion layer (D) provides upon development a dye image having a complementary color to a color of a dye image which said highest spectral sensitivity emulsion layer (C) provides upon development, wherein the writing in said another emulsion layer (D) comprises exposing the layer (D) using said at least one light source within the exposing range of the layer (D) so that the color density difference created by said exposure and development is less than visual threshold, and wherein said exposing range of the layer (D) is the exposure quantity range in which the color density created in the layer (D) by exposure using another light source providing a highest spectral sensitivity to the layer (D) and development varies greater than the visual threshold with respect to a minimum change of a modulation control of an exposure quantity.

Claim 17

An image forming process according to claim 13 wherein color activation of the complementary dye upon sole exposure to said one light source capable of causing color activation in plural emulsion layers is added to a density region above a certain value set between 1.5 and 2.5 in the image density of the color generating dye of the emulsion layer exhibiting the highest sensitivity upon sole exposure to said one light source while providing a gradation.

Claim 18

An image forming process according to claim 13, wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through a coupling reaction with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, and in the absorption spectrum profile of the photosensitive material provided on color generation of monochromatic magenta, the following relationship is met: K(br)≦0.56 or K(rr)≦0.18 where the photosensitive material uses a reflective support, or K(bt)≦0.44 or K(rt)≦0.09 where the photosensitive material uses a transparent support.

Claim 19

A process for forming an image according to claim 13 wherein said visual threshold is 0.005 as a density difference.

Claim 20

An image forming process according to claim 13, wherein the magenta dye-forming layer in said photosensitive material contains a dye forming element in the form of a compound capable of forming a magenta dye through a coupling reaction with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent, said compound being represented by the general formula (I): ##STR9## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group and a phenoxy group. Y is a hydrogen atom or a coupling-off radical, and Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of methine, methine substituted by an alkyl group, methine substituted by a phenyl group ═N--, and --NH--, and form a five-membered azole ring containing two to four nitrogen atoms.

Claim 21

An image forming process according to claim 17, wherein R represents an alkyl group substituted by a phenoxy group or a phenoxy group substituted by a methoxy group.

Claim 22

An image forming process according to claim 17, wherein Za, Zb, and Zc are selected from the group consisting of (1) a methine group which is substituted with an alkyl group, said alkyl group being substituted with a ballast group, and (2) a methine group which is substituted with a phenyl group, said phenyl group being substituted with a ballast group.