Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Nonradiation sensitive image processing compositions or... – Developer
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-06
2003-11-25
Le, Hoa Van (Department: 1752)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Nonradiation sensitive image processing compositions or...
Developer
C430S455000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06653060
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material (hereinafter occasionally referred to as a light-sensitive material), and to a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material which is subjected to minimized processing unevenness during running processing.
After imagewise exposure, black-and-white silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials are generally processed employing steps consisting of development, fixing, water washing, and drying. Of said steps, it is generally carried out that in the fixing step, by processing said light-sensitive materials employing a fixer comprising a water-soluble aluminum salt (a so-called hardening fixer), the drying time is shortened by hardening the layer of said light-sensitive materials and thus the conveyance of said light-sensitive materials is improved in an automatic processing machine (hereinafter occasionally referred to as an automatic processor).
Incidentally, for the past few years, from the viewpoint of environmental safety, a decrease in the effluent volume of processing solutions has been demanded. From the viewpoint of a decrease in the processing cost of said effluent, the decrease of said effluent is preferred. However, when the replenishment rate of a fixer is decreased, problems have occurred in which when a silver halide light-sensitive material is conveyed to a fixing tank from a developer tank, development is not stopped uniformly in the fixer, and as a result, the density of black silver formed in the exposed area is not uniform. Said adverse fact has hindered achievement of low replenishment rate of said fixer.
Further, when the pH is raised, said hardening fixer, comprising water-soluble aluminum compounds, forms sparingly soluble aluminum salts. In order to minimize the formation of said sparingly soluble salts, the pH may be lowered. However, since thiosulfate salts are incorporated as the fixing agent, a problem occurs in which the fixing agent undergoes sulfurization. Due to said fact, the fixer is generally employed in the range of a pH of 4.2 to 5.4. However, in said pH range, it is impossible to hinder the formation of sparing soluble aluminum compounds. Specifically, when the replenishment rate of a fixer is decreased as described above, the formation of sparingly soluble aluminum compounds is adversely affected. In order to overcome these drawbacks, a large amount of boron compounds is commonly employed. Said boron compounds are carried over to the water washing tank by the light-sensitive material and so-called eutrophication tends to result and scale staining of the water washing tank also results. On the other hand, it has been known that boron compounds may be replaced with organic acids. For example, Research Disclosure (hereinafter referred to as RD) 18728 discloses an example in which organic acids such as gluconic acid, glycolic acid, and the like, are employed instead of boron compounds. In others, such as RD 16768, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (abbreviated as JP O.P.I.) No. 63-284546, and the like, examples are described in which organic acids are employed as the substitutes. However, processing unevenness is not sufficiently improved, and thus more improvement is demanded.
Further, the decrease in the replenishment rate results in various problems. For instance, silver from silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials (hereinafter occasionally referred to as light-sensitive materials) deposits in the development tank of automatic processing machines, and the deposited silver adheres onto the conveyance rollers, so that the adhered silver is transferred onto the silver halide light-sensitive photographic material, resulting in staining. For the purpose of minimizing such staining, JP O.P.I. No. (abbreviated as JP O.P.I.) No. 11-149142 describes a means in which the silver stain is decreased by adding a certain compound to a developer. Incidentally, current replenishers are supplied in a concentrated solution form. When photographic processing was carried out employing a replenisher which was prepared by using a concentrated solution comprising the aforementioned compound, problems occurred in which the sensitivity decreased during running processing and oily sludge adhered onto the silver halide light-sensitive photographic materials.
In order to overcome said problems, the inventors of the present invention have investigated the supply employing a solid developer and have been able to overcome the problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material in which silver stain (black spots) caused by a decrease in the replenishment rate, and further a decrease in sensitivity as well as oily sludge adhesion, which is caused by photographic processing during running processing employing a replenisher prepared by employing a usual concentrated solution is minimized.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material in which during photographic processing employing an automatic processing machine, staining of the water washing tank, as well as processing unevenness which is generated by a decrease in the replenishment rate of a fixer, is minimized.
The object of the present invention has been achieved by employing the embodiments described below.
A method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material employing an automatic processing machine comprising steps of
developing an exposed silver halide light-sensitive photographic material with developer,
fixing the developed silver halide light-sensitive photographic material with fixer,
washing the fixed silver halide light-sensitive photographic material with washing water, and
drying the washed silver halide light-sensitive photographic material,
wherein the developer comprises compounds represented by formula (1), and the fixer comprises thiosulfate salts, water-soluble aluminum salts, and at least one type of crystallization retarding agents and substantially comprises no boron compound.
wherein Q represents —CH
2
CH
2
— or —CH
2
CH(J)—, and J represents a hydrogen atom, sum of x, y and z is 2 to 4, and R represents
The preferable examples of the crystallization retarding agent are gluconic acid, glycolic acid, maleic acid, imidinoacetic acid, and 5-sulfosalicyclic acid, and their derivatives, salt of gluconic acid, glycolic acid, maleic acid, imidinoacetic acid, and 5-sulfosalicyclic acid, and their derivatives.
The developer preferably comprises hydroquinone as a developing agent.
In the another embodiment, the developer preferably comprises ascorbic acid or its salt as a developing agent.
In the other embodiment, the developer preferably comprises 3-pyrazolidone or aminophenol compound as the development aid.
The silver halide light-sensitive photographic material preferably comprises a hydrazine compound and a nucleation promoting agent.
The silver halide light-sensitive photographic material preferably comprises a quaternary onium compound.
The fixer is replenished with a fixer replenisher at replenishment rate of 400 ml/m
2
or less.
The developer is preferably replenished with a developer replenisher, which comprises a compound represented by formula (1) and is prepared by employing a solid developer.
The replenishment rate of the developer replenisher is preferably 250 ml/m
2
or less.
The developer replenisher comprises carbonate salt of 0.5 mole/liter or less preferably.
The other embodiments are described.
(1) In a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material employing an automatic processing machine which comprises a development process, a fixing process, a water washing process, and a drying process, a method for processing a silver halide light-sensitive photographic material characterized in that a developer comprises compounds represented by the general formula (
Konica Corporation
Le Hoa Van
Muserlian, Lucas and Mercanti LLP
LandOfFree
Method of processing silver halide photographic light... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of processing silver halide photographic light..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of processing silver halide photographic light... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3184825