Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Nonradiation sensitive image processing compositions or... – Process of preparing composition from plural preformed...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-21
2001-11-06
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Nonradiation sensitive image processing compositions or...
Process of preparing composition from plural preformed...
C430S491000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312877
ABSTRACT:
COPENDING APPLICATION
Copending and commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 09/213850, filed on even date herewith by Haye et al and entitled “Calcium Ion Stable Photographic Color Developing Composition and Method of Use”
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to single-part, ready to use, homogeneous photographic color developing concentrates that are stable to calcium ions, and to a method for their manufacture. This invention is useful in the field of photography to provide color photographic images.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The basic processes for obtaining useful color images from exposed color photographic silver halide materials include several steps of photochemical processing such as color development, silver bleaching, silver halide fixing and water washing or dye image stabilizing using appropriate photochemical compositions.
Photographic color developing compositions are used to process color photographic materials such as color photographic films and papers to provide the desired dye images early in the photoprocessing method. Such compositions generally contain color developing agents, for example 4-amino-3-methyl-N-(2-methane sulfonamidoethyl)aniline, as reducing agents to react with suitable color forming couplers to form the desired dyes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,804 (Vincent et al) describes conventional color developing compositions that have found considerable commercial success in the photographic industry. Other known color developing compositions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,174 (Ishikawa et al), U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,646 (Kobayashi et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,974 (Marrese et al).
It is common practice to add a “replenishing” solution to the color developing composition in the processing machine in order to replace photochemicals that are depleted during reaction or carried away by the processed materials. Such replenishment insures uniform development and maximum stability of the color developing agent.
Color developing compositions are commonly supplied in three or more “parts” (or solutions) that are mixed immediately before use. Multiple parts are often required in order to separate and preserve the chemical activity and solubility of components that may otherwise deteriorate or react with each other when they are stored together for long periods of time under alkaline conditions. For example, one part might include a color developing agent. Another part might contain agents to preserve the alkalinity of the mixed color developing composition. Still another part may include an optical brightener. Upon combination of all parts and water, a homogeneous color developing composition can usually be obtained for the working strength solution in the processing machine.
There is a desire in the industry to reduce the number of parts used to prepare color developing compositions, and particularly to prepare replenishing solutions. A wide range of compositions are described in the art or commercially available as “ready to use” solutions, concentrates or dry formulations. Liquid concentrates have only to be diluted with water to provide a working strength solution. Dry formulations need only be dissolved in water. For example, EP-A-0 793,141 (Chugai Photo) describes a two-part color developing composition that can be supplied in either solid or liquid form.
It is generally known that the concentrations of various photochemicals used in a photographic processing bath must lie within certain narrow limits in order to provide optimal performance. The most important solvent for such photoprocessing is water. Most inorganic salts can be readily dissolved in water while the organic photochemicals in such processing baths usually have suitable solubility in water at the desired operating concentrations.
However, water is both an asset and a major problem of ready-to-use and some concentrated photographic compositions because of its presence in high quantity. As a result, the costs of manufacturing, transport and storage of such compositions is steadily growing. Normally, the user of photochemical compositions has water available in which individual photochemicals could be mixed or diluted, but this is usually not practical for a number of reasons. The exact composition of the photochemicals is not readily determined by a common user and manufacturers are not likely to readily provide their formulations for such a purpose. Moreover, even if the formulations are known, mixing mistakes may result in poor photoprocessing results.
For these reasons, there is a trend in the photographic industry to provide photoprocessing compositions (including color developing compositions) in concentrated form so that the manufacturer and user need not pay for use, transport or storage of large volumes of water, and to enable use of smaller containers. Moreover, there has been a desire in the industry to provide compositions that can be used right out of their containers without the need for mixing various components (thereby reducing mixing errors), such as in what are known as “automatic replenishing” processors.
The industry has investigated the use of both concentrates and solid mixtures (including powders and tablets). In most cases, concentrates are convenient to use but may have high packaging costs compared to powders. Powders permit high concentration, but not every photochemical composition can be dried into a stable powder. In addition, powders present problems with dust, separate packaging needs and more troublesome metering or mixing procedures. Not all dry formulations are readily dissolved in water.
Another concentrated form known in the art is a chemical paste or slurry, as described for example in EP-A-0 204,372 (Chemco) and EP-A-0 800,111 (Fuji Photo). These formulations have still other disadvantages, namely lack of homogeneity and slow dissolution rate of solid components.
Additional small volume, ready to use color developing compositions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,865 (Loiacono et al). These compositions are said to be free of bromides, hydroxylamines and benzyl alcohol, to include a polyol compound having 4 to 8 hydroxy groups, and to be usefull for rapid access processing of photographic elements having high silver bromide emulsions only.
The casual observer might consider that all of the conventional “parts” used to provide color developing compositions might be readily combined to form a single-part homogeneous composition. This is not as easy as one may think. Interactions among and deterioration of photochemicals are magnified in concentrated form, and the resulting action on processed photographic materials may be undesirable because of the resulting poor images.
Some color developing compositions are commercially available in single-part formulation that overcome some of the noted problems, but because of the presence of precipitates (such as in slurries) or multiple solvent phases, they require vigorous agitation or mixing before use. Such compositions are generally limited to small volumes. In addition, the presence of the precipitates or “sludge” is unattractive to users. Some users may not have suitable equipment for proper agitation of multi-phase compositions to keep them uniform in composition.
There was a need in the photographic industry for a single-part color developing composition that is homogeneous, concentrated and stable. Such an attractive photographic product is described and claimed in U.S. Ser. No. 09/132,200 filed Aug. 11, 1998 by Darmon et al. This product has found ready acceptance in the marketplace and includes a metal ion sequestering agent similar to those described in
Research Disclosure
publication 13410 (June 1975) and publication 20405 (April 1981). These metal ion sequestering agents are said to stabilize color developing compositions in the presence of heavy metal ions such as iron and copper ions.
Research Disclosure
is a publication of Kenneth Mason Publications Ltd., Dudley House, 12 North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ England (also available from Emsworth Design Inc., 121 West 19th Str
Buongiorne Jean M.
Haight Michael J.
Eastman Kodak Company
Le Hoa Van
Tucker J. Lanny
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