Heat-developable photosensitive material

Details Heat-developable photosensitive material Heat-developable photosensitive material

2003-03-31

2004-04-27

Chea, Thorl (Department: 1752)

Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th

Radiation sensitive product

Silver compound sensitizer containing

C430S510000, C430S513000, C430S517000, C430S611000, C430S613000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06727057

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heat-developable photosensitive material, and more particularly to a heat-developable photosensitive material that provides images having favorable color tone and color density in the highlight portions after processing and high sharpness.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heat-developable photosensitive materials have been proposed from long ago and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,904 and 3,457,075, and B. Shely Thermally Processed Silver Systems in
Imaging Processes and Materials: Neblette's,
8th Edition, J. Sturge, V. Walworth and A. Shepp ed., page 2 (1996).
The heat-developable photosensitive material ordinarily has a light-sensitive layer comprising a catalytically active amount of photo-catalyst (e.g., silver halide), a reducing agent, a silver salt capable of being reduced (e.g., organic silver salt) and a toning agent for controlling color tone of silver image, dispersed in a binder matrix. After imagewise exposure, the heat-developable image recording material is subjected to heating at high temperature (e.g., 80° C. or more), whereby a black silver image is formed upon an oxidation reduction reaction between the silver salt capable of being reduced (which acts as an oxidizing agent) and the reducing agent. The oxidation reduction reaction is accelerated by a catalytic function of latent image of silver halide formed by the imagewise exposure and thus, the black silver image is formed in the exposed area.
In recent years, a simple and rapid development processing has been desired in the field of photographic technology, especially, in the field of photography for medical use or lithographic use. However, improvements in a wet type development processing reach the limit. Therefore, a method of forming images by a heat-development processing has drawn anew attention in the field of photography for medical use or lithographic use. The heat-development processing does not require a processing solution used in the wet type development processing and thus, it has the advantage of being able to conduct development processing simply and rapidly and also it is a processing method taking into account the global environment because waste of the processing solution is not discharged.
In the field of photography for medical use, it is well known to use a blue-colored polyester film, particularly, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film containing a 1,4-dianilinoanthracene pigment. Such a blue tone support is preferred since medical experts have been familiarized themselves with the observation of X ray films having blue tone and made a diagnosis on the background of such color tone.
Various proposals for making the blue tone have been made in the field of heat-developable photosensitive material. Specifically, (1) method of coloring a support and (2) method of incorporating a pigment or dye into a layer other than the support have been proposed and practically used. Recently, however, clear images without the blue tone have the preference sometimes in the field of photography for medical use. Accordingly, the latter method is advantageous since it is not necessary to prepare both blue toned supports and clear supports separately. It is also preferable in view of taking into account the global environment because the colored supports are not discharged as waste materials. In addition, it is preferred to add a dye or pigment having an absorption in a range of exposure wavelength for the purpose of preventing irradiation to a light-sensitive layer of the heat-developable photosensitive material. From this point of view, the latter method is preferable.
Examples of the methods of (1) and (2) are described in JP-A-2000-29164 (the term “JP-A” as used herein means an “unexamined published Japanese patent application”), JP-A-2000-158825, JP-A-10-268465 and WO 98/36322. In a case where any layer, which is formed from a coating solution mainly containing water or an organic solvent on the light-sensitive layer side of a support, is colored, there is a problem in that the decomposition and decoloration of dye tends to occur due to the reaction caused in the photosensitive material during heat-development. In order to prevent the decoloration of dye, therefore, it is practical to use pigment.
On the other hand, in case of using a coating solution mainly containing water, since a spectral absorption characteristic of dispersion of pigment in an aqueous medium is not clear, a water-soluble dye is subsidiarily used sometimes as described in the example of JP-A-2000-112060. However, since the water-soluble dye has the tendencies of decoloration as described above and fading during preservation after the heat-development processing, it has a defect that a problem of change in the background color tends to occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a heat-developable photosensitive material that is excellent in handleability and provides images having sufficiently high sharpness and background color having a favorable color tone (blue) and color density after development processing and free from change in the background color upon the preservation.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.
As a result of various investigations on the problems described above, the inventors have found that the change in color tone of highlight portion of image after processing can be prevented by the use of a water-soluble metal phthalocyanine compound in a heat-developable photosensitive material to complete the present invention.
The above-described objects of the present invention are accomplished by the following heat-developable photosensitive materials:
(1) A heat-developable photosensitive material comprising at least one light-sensitive layer containing an organic silver salt, light-sensitive silver halide and a reducing agent and at least one light-insensitive layer on a support, wherein the heat-developable photosensitive material comprises a water-soluble metal phthalocyanine compound.
(2) The heat-developable photosensitive material as described in item (1) above, wherein the water-soluble metal phthalocyanine compound is a copper phthalocyanine compound.
(3) The heat-developable photosensitive material as described in item (1) or (2) above, wherein the water-soluble metal phthalocyanine compound is a compound represented by the following formula (Pc-1):
MPc(SO
3
H)
n
(SO
2
NHR)
m
  (Pc-1)
In formula (Pc-1), Pc represents a phthalocyanine skeleton; R represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent; n represents a number of from 0 to 4; m represents a number of from 1 to 4; and M represents a metal atom or an oxide, hydroxide or halide thereof.
(4) The heat-developable photosensitive material as described in any one of items (1) to (3) above, wherein the water-soluble metal phthalocyanine compound is present on the same side as the light-sensitive layer provided on the support.
(5) The heat-developable photosensitive material as described in any one of items (1) to (4) above, which further comprises a polyhalogen compound represented by formula (H), (H1) or (H2) shown below incorporated into at least one of the light-sensitive layer and the light-insensitive layer:
Q—(Y)
n
—C(Z
1
)(Z
2
)X  (H)
In formula (H), Q represents an alkyl group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group; Y represents a divalent connecting group; n represents 0 or 1; Z
1
and Z
2
each independently represent a halogen atom; and X represents a hydrogen atom or an electron withdrawing group.
In formula (H1), Z
1
and Z
2
each independently represent a halogen atom; A represents a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; and R
1
represents an alkyl group having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have one or more substituents, an alkenyl group having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have one or more substituents or an alkynyl grou

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Heat-developable photosensitive material does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Heat-developable photosensitive material, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heat-developable photosensitive material will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3245897