Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Transfer procedure between image and image layer – image... – Imagewise heating – element or image receiving layers...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-28
2002-11-05
Schilling, Richard L. (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Transfer procedure between image and image layer, image...
Imagewise heating, element or image receiving layers...
C430S220000, C430S523000, C430S531000, C430S533000, C430S536000, C430S538000, C347S105000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06475696
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention elates to imaging materials. In a preferred form it relates to an improved base for photographic materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The need for having thinner and stiffer base for imaging products is well recognized. In addition to providing cost advantage, thinner supports can fulfill many other criteria. For example, in motion picture and related entertainment industry, thinner photographic base allows for longer film footage for the same sized reels. However, a reduction in thickness of the base typically results in a reduction in stiffness, which can have detrimental effects in terms of curl, transport, durability, etc. For display materials, such as photographic papers, it is desirable that the paper be light in weight and flexible for some applications. For instance, when the photographs must be mailed or used as a laminating material, it is desirable that the materials be light in weight. When stored in albums, reduced thickness of the paper will minimize undesirable bulkiness. For some uses such as for a stand-up display and to convey a sense of value, it is desirable that the photographs have a heavy stiff feel. It would be desirable if photographic materials could be easily produced with a variety of stiffness and caliper characteristics so that a variety of consumer desires could be easily met. Present materials have a limited ability to be varied, as the thickness of the base paper and the thickness of the resin-coating on the paper are the only factors that can be varied easily. Further, the cost of forming stiff paper is substantial, as increases in the amount of resin and in the thickness of paper and/or selection of a stiffer resin and paper are expensive. In addition, the increases or decreases in caliper that are required for papers of increased or decreased stiffness lead to difficulties in handling in processing machines for formation of the photosensitive layers and in development after exposure.
It has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,861 to utilize biaxially oriented polypropylene in receiver sheets for thermal dye transfer.
It has been proposed in U.S. Pat Nos. 5,866,282; 5,874,205; 5,888,643; and 5,888,683 to utilize biaxially oriented polyolefin sheets for photographic supports through lamination onto a paper base.
Still there is need in the industry to develop suitable imaging materials which can be conveniently and economically incorporated in imaging supports with appreciable improvement in stiffness, so that thinner caliper can be achieved without sacrificing any desirable characteristics of the support.
Recently, nanocomposite materials have received considerable interest from industrial sectors, such as the automotive industry and the packaging industry for their unique physical properties. These properties include improved heat distortion characteristics, barrier properties, and mechanical properties. The related prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,739,007; 4,810,734; 4,894,411; 5,102,948; 5,164,440; 5,164,460; 5,248,720; 5,854,326; and 6,034,163. However, the use of these nanocomposites in imaging materials for stiffer and thinner support has not been recognized.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
There is a need for providing thinner and stiffer support for imaging materials. In particular, for display materials, such as photographic paper, there is a need for the ability to vary stiffness and caliper of the base in a manner that is independent. There is also a need to accomplish the aforesaid goals with materials of appropriate clarity for application in imaging elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide imaging materials with improved stiffness for application in photographic base.
It is another object to provide photographic base with equivalent stiffness at reduced thickness.
It is a further object to provide photographic paper with a variety of stiffness and wherein the backside of the paper has back mark retention characteristics.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by an imaging member comprising an image layer and a support comprising at least one layer comprising an inorganic particle having an aspect ratio of at least 10 to 1, a lateral dimension of between 0.01 &mgr;m and 5 &mgr;m, and a vertical dimension between 0.5 nm and 10 nm, and polymeric resin.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides imaging materials with improved stiffness for application in photographic base. The invention further provides thinner photographic base without sacrificing stiffness. When incorporated in photographic paper, the invention provides adequate back mark retention characteristics.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention has numerous advantages over prior methods of adjusting stiffness and thickness in photographic bases. The invention allows the consumer to be provided with papers and film supports that are lightweight but strong. The papers and film supports of the invention further can be provided in a form that is stiff. The invention also allows the formation of stiff papers that are nevertheless light in weight. The lightweight prints of the invention allow storage of prints in albums that are not as bulky. Further, files containing photos such as used by real estate and insurance companies can be thinner. The present invention can provide photographic paper with a bending stiffness between 150 and 225 millinewtons. This bending stiffness can be achieved at a caliper thickness between 0.15 mm and 0.3 mm. Within these ranges a variety of papers may be formed that are strong but provided with any desired caliper or stiffness. The bending stiffness can be measured using a suitable setup such as the Lorentzen & Wettre Stiffness Tester, model 16 D, calculated following mathematical modeling, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,720. As demonstrated through examples herein below, photographic papers of the invention comprising a nanocomposite material provide higher bending stiffness for the same caliper or same stiffness for lower caliper, when compared with ordinary resin coated photographic, ink jet, and thermal transfer paper that does not comprise the nanocomposite material of the present invention. Moreover, when used on the backside of photographic paper, the invention imparts improved back mark retention characteristics to the photographic element. When used in films, the invention allows longer film footage to be incorporated in the same sized reels.
The invention provides imaging materials comprising nanocomposites, which possess a number of highly desirable properties, such as improved mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties at a relatively low weight % loading (typically<20%) of the inorganic phase. These improvements can be realized in both imaging papers, as well as films. For example, the photographic paper comprising these nanocomposite materials allows faster hardening of photographic paper emulsion, as water vapor is not transmitted from the emulsion through the nanocomposites because of improved barrier properties. Motion picture print films comprising these nanocomposite materials have improved heat distortion temperature undergo less buckling due to thermal heating from the projector light source which otherwise can cause objectionable “out of focus” images on the movie screen. The advantageous low loading level of the inorganic phase in these nanocomposites ensures processability of these materials to be similar to that of the host polymer resin. This allows for utilization of the same manufacturing equipment under similar processing conditions without requiring much capital investment. Low loading of the inorganic phase also provides materials with improved properties without significant increase in cost.
These and other advantages will be apparent from the detailed description below.
Whenever used in the specification, the terms set forth shall have the following meaning:
“Nanocomposite” shall mean a composite material wherein at least one component comprises an inorganic
Arrington Eric E.
Blanton Thomas N.
Dontula Narasimharao
Garcia Jose L.
Gula Thaddeus S.
Blank Lynne M.
Leipold Paul A.
Schilling Richard L.
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