Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaged product – Multilayer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-22
2001-07-10
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaged product
Multilayer
C430S502000, C430S506000, C430S536000, C430S538000, C430S952000, C430S432000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06258494
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to photographic materials. In a preferred form it relates to a photographic reflective images.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the formation of color paper it is known that the base paper has applied thereto a layer of polymer, typically polyethylene. This layer serves to provide waterproofing to the paper, as well as providing a smooth surface on which the photosensitive layers are formed. The formation of a suitably smooth surface is difficult requiring great care and expense to ensure proper lay down and cooling of the polyethylene layers. The formation of a suitably smooth surface would improve image quality as the display material would have more apparent blackness as the reflective properties of the improved base are more specular than the prior materials. As the whites are whiter and the blacks are blacker, there is more range in between and, therefore, contrast is enhanced. It would be desirable if a more reliable and smoother surface could be formed at less expense.
Prior art photographic reflective papers are typically coated with silver halide imaging layers that contain a separate layer for the magenta, cyan and yellow layers. The color coupler containing layers are typically separated by gelatin inter layers that provide spacing. The spacing of the color coupler containing layers with gelatin inter layers creates a sense of depth in the image to the observer. This sense of depth adds to the quality of a silver halide image and perceptually differentiates a silver halide image from imaging techniques that are more planar. For example, ink jet images do not typically have separation between the ink drops that make up an ink jet image and thus ink jet images appear flat and some what lifeless compared to the same image created from silver halide imaging layers.
It has been found that by increasing the thickness of the gelatin inter layers that the depth of image for a silver halide image can be improved. However, increasing the thickness of the gelatin inter layers reduces the efficiency of the image development process and increases the cost of the imaging material. Also, by increasing the thickness of the gelatin inter layer, the yellowness of the imaging layers causes the density minimum areas to appear more yellow which is undesirable as consumers perceptually prefer density minimum areas that have a slight blue tint.
Prior art stereo photography or depth photography uses visual simulation to provide photographs that can be seen in three dimensions. A stereo camera has two lens placed about 65 mm apart, which is the average interpupillary distance for adults. Two photographs are taken simultaneously of the subject. A stereo viewer is used to present the photograph taken by the left lens to the left eye simultaneously with the one taken by the right lens to the right eye. The human brain then fuses the images into a single image and a three dimensional image of the original subject is seen.
It has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,282 Bourdelais et al. to utilize a composite support material with laminated biaxially oriented polyolefin sheets as a photographic imaging material. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,282 biaxially oriented polyolefin sheets are extrusion lamrtinated to cellulose paper to create a support for silver halide imaging layers. The biaxially oriented sheets described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,282 have a microvoided layer in combination with coextruded layers that contain white pigments. The composite imaging support structure described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,282 has been found to be more durable, sharper and brighter than prior art photographic paper imaging supports that use cast melt extruded polyethylene layers coated on cellulose paper.
Typically, photographic reflective imaging layers are coated on a polyethylene coated cellulose paper. While polyethylene coated cellulose paper does provide an acceptable support for the imaging layers, there is a need for alternate support materials such as polyester or fabric. The problem with alternate, non paper supports is the lack of robustness in photographic processing equipment to mechanical property changes in supports. The photographic processing equipment will not run photographic materials that have significantly different mechanical properties than prior art photographic materials. It would be desirable if a reflective photographic image could be efficiently formed on alternate supports.
The continuing thrust towards digital printing of photographic color papers has created the need for color imaging materials that can work in both a negative working optical and digital exposure equipment. In order for color silver halide imaging materials to correctly print digitally, a color negative curve shape of the imaging material is critical. In a digital environment (direct writing) to a photographic paper, the curve shape to a degree can be electomodulated and thus have a greater degree of freedom that the optical printing of the color negative working system. Ideally, a color paper type imaging system that could substantially maintain tone scale from conventional optical negative working exposure times to sub microsecond digital direct writing exposure times would be preferred. This would enable a photofinishing area to maintain one material for both digital and optical exposure thereby reducing the need for expensive inventory.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
There is a continuing need for silver halide images that have improved depth of image. Further, there is also continuing need for photographic elements that are more durable in use and lighter weight for handling during the formation, imaging, and development process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an of the invention to overcome disadvantages of prior photographic elements.
It is another object of the invention to provide a silver halide image with improved image depth properties.
It is another object to provide photographic elements that are lightweight and thin.
It is a further object to provide photographic elements that may be easily provided in finished form with a variety of substrates.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by a photographic element comprising a transparent sheet having a developed photographic image on each side, adhesively connected to a reflective base.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a photographic element that is has an improved sense of depth, light in weight for ease of formation, imaging and development but may be easily adhered to a variety of substrates.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention has numerous advantages over prior photographic elements. The elements of the invention convey a greater sense of image depth than prior art materials. This is especially attractive for consumer images as typical consumer image content often contain both foreground and background content. Images with a greater sense of depth better recall the event, time and place that the image was captured as it provides an image with three dimensional qualities. Further, photography and digital display media such as television has traditionally been a two dimensional representation of the three dimensional world. Depth of image has been shown to be perceptually preferred representation of the world.
The elements of the invention are also lighter in weight and thickness so that a roll of the photographic element of the same diameter will contain many more linear feet resulting in many more images per roll. The imaging element of the invention after development may be easily adhered to a variety of substrates, thereby allowing customized use of the images. It may be desirable for images that will be mailed, to be adhered to a lightweight substrate, whereas images to be displayed can easily be adhered to a heavy substrate after their development. The base material that is utilized in mounting of the photographic images of the invention may be lower in cost, as it is not present during development of the image and not subjected to the dev
Aylward Peter T.
Bourdelais Robert P.
Camp Alphonse D.
Eastman Kodak Company
Leipold Paul A.
Schilling Richard L.
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