Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Thermographic process – Heat applied after imaging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-01
2002-03-05
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Thermographic process
Heat applied after imaging
C430S510000, C430S517000, C430S523000, C430S536000, C430S619000, C430S264000, C430S961000, C430S964000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352819
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to thermally-developable imaging materials such as thermographic and photothermographic materials. More particularly, it relates to high contrast thermographic and photothermographic imaging materials that provide greater protection against unwanted development in non-imaged areas. The invention also relates to methods of imaging using these materials. This invention is directed to the photothermographic and thermographic imaging industries.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Silver-containing thermographic and photothermographic imaging materials that are developed with heat and without liquid development have been known in the art for many years.
Thermography or thermal imaging is a recording process wherein images are generated by the use of thermal energy. In direct thermography, a visible image is formed by imagewise heating a recording material containing matter than changes color or optical density upon heating. Thermographic materials generally comprise a support having coated thereon: (a) a relatively or completely non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions, (b) a reducing composition (usually including a developer) for the reducible silver ions, and (c) a hydrophilic or hydrophobic binder.
Thermal recording materials become photothermographic upon incorporating a photosensitive catalyst such as silver halide. Upon imagewise exposure to irradiation energy (ultraviolet, visible or IR radiation) the exposed silver halide grains form a latent image. Application of thermal energy causes the latent image of exposed silver halide grains to act as a catalyst for the development of the non-photosensitive source of reducible silver to form a visible image. These photothermographic materials are also known as “dry silver” materials.
In such materials, the photosensitive catalyst is generally a photographic type photosensitive silver halide that is considered to be in catalytic proximity to the non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions. Catalytic proximity requires an intimate physical association of these two components either prior to or during the thermal image development process so that when silver atoms [Ag(0)], also known as silver specks, clusters or nuclei) are generated by irradiation or light exposure of the photosensitive silver halide, those silver atoms are able to catalyze the reduction of the reducible silver ions within a catalytic sphere of influence around the silver atoms [Klosterboer, Neblette's Eighth Edition:
Imaging Processes and Materials
, Sturge, Walworth & Shepp (Eds.), Van Nostrand-Reinhold, New York, Chapter 9, pages 279-291, 1989]. It has long been understood that silver atoms act as a catalyst for the reduction of silver ions, and that the photosensitive silver halide can be placed into catalytic proximity with the non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions in a number of different ways (see, for example,
Research Disclosure
, June 1978, Item No. 17029). Other photosensitive materials, such as titanium dioxide, cadmium sulfide, and zinc oxide have been reported to be useful in place of silver halide as the photocatalyst in photothermographic materials [see for example J. W. Shepard,
J. Appl. Photog. Eng
. 1982, 8(5), 210-212, S. Shigeo, et al.,
Nippon Kagaku Kaishi
, 1994, 11, 992-997, and FR 2 254 047 (Robillard)].
The photosensitive silver halide may be made “in situ,” for example by mixing an organic or inorganic halide-containing source with a source of reducible silver ions to achieve partial metathesis and thus causing the in-situ formation of silver halide (AgX) grains on the surface of the silver source [see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,075 (Morgan et al.)].
The silver halide may also be “preformed” and prepared by an “ex situ” process whereby the silver halide (AgX) grains are prepared and grown separately. With this technique, one has the possibility of controlling the grain size, grain size distribution, dopant levels, and composition much more precisely, so that one can impart more specific properties to both the silver halide grains and photothermographic material. The preformed silver halide grains may be introduced prior to and be present during the formation of the silver soap. Co-precipitation of the silver halide and source of reducible silver ions provides a more intimate mixture of the two materials [see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,049 (Simons)]. Alternatively, the preformed silver halide grains may be added to and physically mixed with the source of reducible silver ions.
The non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions is a material that contains reducible silver ions. Typically, the preferred non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions is a silver salt of a long chain aliphatic carboxylic acid having from 10 to 30 carbon atoms, or mixtures of such salts. Such acids are also known as “fatty acids”. Salts of other organic acids or other organic compounds, such as silver imidazolates, silver benzotriazoles, silver tetrazoles, silver benzotetrazoles, silver benzothiazoles and silver acetylides have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,677 (Winslow et al.) discloses the use of complexes of various non-photosensitive inorganic or organic silver salts.
In photothermographic emulsions, exposure of the photosensitive silver halide to light produces small clusters of silver atoms [Ag(0)]
n
. The imagewise distribution of these clusters, known in the art as a latent image, is generally not visible by ordinary means. Thus, the photosensitive emulsion must be further developed to produce a visible image. This is accomplished by the reduction of silver ions that are in catalytic proximity to silver halide grains bearing the clusters of silver atoms (that is, the latent image). This produces a black-and-white image. The non-photosensitive silver source is reduced to form the visible black-and-white negative image while much of the silver halide, generally, remains as silver halide and is not reduced.
In photothermographic materials, the reducing agent for the non-photosensitive reducible silver ions, often referred to as a “developer,” may be any compound that in the presence of the latent image, can reduce silver ions to metallic silver and is preferably of relatively low activity until it is heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the reaction. A wide variety of classes of compounds have been disclosed in the literature that function as developers for photothermographic materials. At elevated temperatures, the reducible silver ions are reduced by the reducing agent. In photothermographic materials, upon heating, this reduction occurs preferentially in the regions surrounding the latent image. In photothermographic materials, this reaction produces a negative image of metallic silver having a color that ranges from yellow to deep black depending upon the presence of toning agents and other components in the imaging layer(s).
Differences Between Photothermography and Photography
The imaging arts have long recognized that the field of photothermography is clearly distinct from that of photography. Photothermographic materials differ significantly from conventional silver halide photographic materials that require processing using aqueous processing solutions.
As noted above, in photothermographic imaging materials, a visible image is created by heat as a result of the reaction of a developer incorporated within the material. Heating at 50° C. or more is essential for this dry development. In contrast, conventional photographic imaging materials require processing in aqueous processing baths at more moderate temperatures (from 30° C. to 50° C.) to provide a visible image.
In photothermographic materials, only a small amount of silver halide is used to capture light and a non-photosensitive source of reducible silver ions (for example a silver carboxylate) is used to generate the visible image using thermal development. Thus, the photosensitive silver halide serves as a catalyst for the
Ishida Takuzo
Kenney Raymond J.
Skoug Paul G.
Wallace Lawrence B.
Schilling Richard L.
Tucker J. Lanny
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