Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Thermographic process – Heat applied after imaging
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-08
2003-04-29
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Thermographic process
Heat applied after imaging
Reexamination Certificate
active
06555299
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-173607, filed Jun. 9, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material and, more particularly, to an image forming method having high sensitivity and superior in development characteristics with a short time development and rapid processing suitability.
Photographic light-sensitive materials using silver halides are more and more developing in recent years, and high-quality color images are readily available at present. For example, in a method usually called color photography, photography is performed using a color negative film, and a color print is obtained by optically printing image information recorded on the developed color negative film onto photographic printing paper. Recently, this process has been developed to a high degree, and color laboratories as large-scale centralized points for efficiently producing large amounts of color prints or so-called mini-labs as small, simple printer processors installed in stores have spread. Therefore, anyone can easily enjoy color photography.
The principle of currently widespread color photography uses color reproduction by the subtraction color process. In a common color negative film, photosensitive layers using silver halide emulsions as photosensitive elements given sensitivity to blue, green, and red regions are formed on a transparent support. So-called color couplers for forming dyes of yellow, magenta, and cyan as hues which are complementary colors to blue, green, and red, respectively, are contained, in combination with these colors, in the photosensitive layers. A color negative film imagewise exposed by photography is developed in a color developer containing an aromatic primary amine developing agent. Consequently, silver halide grains exposed to light are developed, i.e., reduced by the developing agent, and at the same time the dyes are formed by coupling reactions between the oxidized developing agent generated and the color couplers. A dye image is obtained by removing, by bleaching and fixing, metal silver (developed silver) produced by the development and unreacted silver halides. Color photographic printing paper as a color light-sensitive material formed by coating a reflecting support with photosensitive layers having similar combinations of photosensitive wavelength regions and hues is optically exposed through the developed color film and subjected to analogous color development, bleaching, and fixing. In this manner, a dye image color print reproducing the original scene can be obtained.
Although this system is currently widespread, demands for improving the ease of the system have increased more and more.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A-)10-39468 discloses a technique of reducing the color development time by raising the processing temperature of a color developer or the concentration of a color developing agent. JP-A-10-39468 describes a method of achieving rapid processing without deteriorating color reproduction and sharpness.
Unfortunately, the method of performing the color development, bleaching, and fixing described above has many problems. First, the compositions and temperatures of processing baths of the above-mentioned color development, bleaching, and fixing must be precisely controlled. This control requires expert knowledge and skilled operation. Second, these processing solutions contain substances, such as a color developing agent and an iron chelating compound as a bleaching agent, whose discharge must be regulated from the environmental point of view. To this end, it is often necessary to install dedicated equipment in the developing apparatuses. Third, these developing processes require a long time, although the time is reduced by recent technological developments. Hence, this developing method is still unsatisfactory in meeting the demands for rapidly reproducing recorded images.
From the above background, developing methods differing from the above method have been devised. One example is heat development.
As a heat development type color light-sensitive material, a method of forming a dye image by a coupling reaction between a developing agent in an oxidized form and a coupler is described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,761,270 and 4,021,240. Also, a method of forming a positive color image by a photosensitive silver dye bleach process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,957.
Furthermore, a method of imagewise releasing or forming a diffusive dye by heat development and transferring this diffusive dye onto a dye fixing element has been proposed. In this method, both negative and positive dye images can be obtained by changing the type of dye-providing compound used or the type of silver halide used. Details of the method are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,626, 4,483,914, 4,503,137, and 4,559,290, JP-A's-58-149046, 60-133449, 59-218443, and 61-238056, and EP210660A2.
As a system not requiring a processing solution containing a color developing agent, a pictography system has been proposed by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. In this system, a small amount of water is supplied to a light-sensitive member containing a base precursor to adhere this light-sensitive member to an image receiving member, and the resultant structure is heated to cause a development reaction. This system is environmentally advantageous because it does not use any processing bath previously described.
Unfortunately, the above-mentioned rapid processing and heat development pose a new problem. That is, when a light-sensitive material that is designed with the assumption that the material is to be subjected to conventional color development, is subjected to the above mentioned rapid processing, or when a heat development type light-sensitive material designed on a conventional light-sensitive material, is subjected to heat development, the rate of development lowers, so satisfactory sensitivity and gradation cannot be realized. This problem is particularly notable when a large-size silver halide emulsion is used to increase the sensitivity when a material for photography is manufactured.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having high sensitivity and superior in rapid processing suitability and heat development suitability.
The present inventors continued investigation to attain these objects and have found the following. That is, it is necessary to efficiently generate a developing agent in an oxidized form during rapid processing, and to design a material so that no load acts on the diffusion length of a developing agent. In addition, in the case of a heat development type light-sensitive material, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of silver ion supply from silver behenate and organic silver to light-sensitive silver halide grains. Accordingly, it is important to so design a light-sensitive material that the silver density in a silver halide emulsion during development is high.
The present inventors made extensive studies, and the above objects were effectively achieved by the present invention presented below. That is, the present invention provides the following methods:
(I) A method for processing a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material, having, on a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer comprising a light-sensitive silver halide emulsion, a compound capable of forming a dye by a coupling reaction with a developing agent in an oxidized form, and a binder, wherein the method comprises processing the light-sensitive material such that a silver density of the at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer during development is 4×10
5
g/m
3
or more.
(II) T
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Le Hoa Van
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