Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Radiation sensitive product – Identified backing or protective layer containing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2002-11-05
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Radiation sensitive product
Identified backing or protective layer containing
C430S527000, C428S407000, C428S483000, C428S515000, C428S519000, C428S520000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06475714
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming material, such as a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material which exhibits excellent adhesion properties, abrasion resistance and cracking resistance of the silver halide emulsion layer and the hydrophilic polymer layer and also exhibits excellent antistatic properties after photographic processing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, carried out as an antistatic means for resinous products, fibers, and the like, has been covering the surface of materials employing electrically conductive compositions. Most of such electrically conductive compositions are prepared by dispersing or dissolving metals, metal oxides, carbon black, ionic polymers, surface active agents, and the like, together with binders in organic solvents. Thus coating has been carried out utilizing organic solvents. In recent years, however, it has tended to be that from the aspect of environmental protection, release of organic solvent to the atmosphere is not tolerated. As a result, demanded has been development of coating methods employing water. However, at present, an electrically conductive layer formed by employing compositions comprised of water generally exhibits low water resistance.
Silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials generally comprise an electrically insulating support having thereon coated layers comprised of silver halide emulsion layers and the like. As a result, during their production, as well as during their use, when being subjected to friction upon coming into contact with other materials or to peeling, they tend to be electrostatically charged. Accumulated electrostatic charge results in critical problems with image forming materials during its electric discharge. Further, even though image forming materials comprise electrically conductive materials, they may be dissolved in water during water based photographic processing, or the conductivity may be degraded during water based processing. Thus image forming materials after photographic processing tend to be more readily charged, resulting in being readily attracting dirt and dust. As a result, the formation of unnecessary spots on finished prints due to shielding materials, such as dirt, dust and the like, results in a decrease in product value. Specifically, in medical light-sensitive materials, the formation of spots may result in misdiagnosis, which endangers people's lives. During handling such film, electrostatic shock formed by electrostatically charged film, may result in reluctance to workers to handle it. Such electrostatic problems tend to occur due to the current situations such as the quality enhancement of silver halide photographic materials, the increase in their productivity, the high speed automatic processing and the like, wherein electrostatic charge tends to be generated. Accordingly, it has become increasingly important to take counter measures. Image forming materials, when the light-sensitive layers are applied, frequently come into contact with rolls. They tend to be charged every time when they are separated from each roll. Thus, light-sensitive layer coating compositions and the like tend to be non-uniformly coated and occasionally result in coating mottle.
Heretofore, in order to overcome these problems, various antistatic techniques have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 49-91165 and 49-12523 disclose compounds which have an ionic group in their polymer primary chain. In addition to said compounds, known are electrically conductive polymers described in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 2-9689 and 2-182491, surface active agents described in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection Nos. 63-55541, 63-148254, 63-148256, and 1-134191, and the like. However, in most cases, said antistatic performance is markedly degraded after photographic processing.
Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 8-134148 discloses a technique in which monomers having a polymerizable functional group undergo emulsion polymerization in a water based solvent comprising a water-soluble polymer having a sulfonic group as well as a carboxylic acid group, and further, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. discloses a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material utilizing the resulting compounds. However, the electrical conductivity of the antistatic layer obtained by coating, and subsequently drying, is markedly degraded while being processed employing water, and consequently exhibits insufficient water resistance.
Furthermore, recent image forming materials tend to exhibit insufficient adhesion properties of the constituted layers, as well as insufficient abrasion resistance due to the enhancement of functions, the increase in productivity, high speed automatic processing, and the like, and also tend to result in the formation of curl. Heretofore, in order to minimize curl due to the elongation and shrinkage of gelatin employed in image forming materials, as well as to prevent cracking of silver halide emulsion layers comprising silver halide grains, techniques have been known in which plasticizers such as, for example polymer latexes, are added to the gelatin layer. However, in the recent quick processing of image forming materials, film is more rapidly conveyed. As a result, it has become extremely difficult to improve the physical properties of film to the desired level only by utilizing conventional techniques. Thus improved techniques have been demanded.
SUMMRY OF THE INVENTION
From the view of the foregoing, the present invention has been accomplished. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming material, particularly, a light-sensitive photographic material which comprises a light sensitive layer and a hydrophilic polymer layer, which exhibit excellent adhesion properties, abrasion resistance, curl minimizing properties, and cracking resistance and also comprises an antistatic layer in which antistatic properties are not degraded after processing.
The inventors of the present invention have discovered that the object of the present invention is achieved by providing the specified sublayer on a support, and then providing thereon an antistatic layer comprised of the electrically conductive composition obtained by mixing polymer particles having a functional group which interact with a water-soluble polymer with said water-soluble polymer, and subsequently thermally treating the resultant mixture. Heretofore, the electrically conductive compositions, which are employed to form an antistatic layer, have been utilized without heating. However, it has been found that after processing, antistatic effects, layer adhesion, abrasion resistance, and cracking resistance are degraded. In order to overcome these drawbacks, said inventors have conducted diligently investigation. As a result, it has been discovered that said drawbacks are effectively overcome by carrying out thermal treatment. The present invention is characterized in that as described above, by carrying out such thermal treatment, properties as described above are exhibited due to the newly discovered action in a layer of polymer particles having a functional group on the side chain due to an unidentified interaction of said functional group with a water-soluble polymer.
The summary of the present invention will now be described.
1. An image forming material comprising a support having sublayer on at least one surface of said support, wherein the image forming material has on the sublayer an antistatic layer comprised of an electrically conductive composition obtained by mixing polymer particles having a functional group on the side chain with a water soluble polymer which reacts with the functional group, and subsequently heating the resulting mixture at 50 to 90° C., and further has on said antistatic layer a layer comprised of a hydrophilic resin.
2. The image forming material of item 1, wherein the sublayer compr
Arimoto Tadashi
Kurachi Yasuo
Sasaki Takayuki
Ueda Eiichi
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Konica Corporation
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