Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2001-03-27
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
C396S627000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206586
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to forming protective film on developed photographic images on receivers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Silver halide photographic receivers contain light sensitive silver halide in a hydrophilic emulsion. An image is formed in the receiver by exposing the silver halide to light, or to other actinic radiation, and developing the exposed silver halide to reduce it to elemental silver.
In color photographic receivers a dye image is formed as a consequence of silver halide development by one of several different processes. The most common is to allow a by-product of silver halide development, oxidized silver halide developing agent, to react with a dye forming compound called a coupler. The silver and un-reacted silver halide are then removed from the photographic receiver, leaving a dye image.
The formation of the dye image commonly involves liquid processing with aqueous solutions that must penetrate the surface of the receiver to come into contact with silver halide and coupler. Gelatin and similar natural or synthetic hydrophilic polymers have been the common binder of choice for silver halide photographic receivers. Unfortunately, when gelatin and other similar polymers are not durable and mar-resistant enough for handling. The imaged receiver can be marked by fingerprints, it can be scratched or torn, it can also deform, swell or form image artifact when it is contacted with liquids.
Various coating techniques have been developed to provide a protection layer over the silver halide images. Some of these techniques require wet chemical coating and radiation treatment. Some of these techniques require the use of fusing particles and/or the use of electrostatic field. These operations are costly and complex.
The silver halide photographic images can also be protected by a lamination sheet. The lamination method suffer the following several drawbacks: first, the lamination sheet significantly increases the cost of the media per unit area. Second, the lamination machine is expensive. Third, the lamination has the tendency to delaminate over time or under physical or heat disturbance.
There remains a need for a simple, low-cost, and dry process for providing protection on photographic images without the drawbacks of the above described techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide protection for silver halide images on receivers without the drawbacks of the prior art techniques.
This object is achieved by apparatus for forming durable polymer protection film over a photographic image on a receiver, comprising:
a) means for providing a receiver having a photographic image;
b) fluid ejection means for ejecting a polymer protection fluid which when dried forms a film; and
c) means for positioning the receiver relative to the fluid ejection means and causing the fluid ejection means to apply the polymer fluid over the photographic image to form a polymer protection film when the fluid dries for protecting the photographic image.
A feature of the present invention is that a polymer protection film is applied using a fluid ejection head such as an ink jet print head after the photographic image is developed. The fluid ejection head is positioned at a distance away from the silver halide photographic image.
An advantage of the present invention is that the polymer protection film is applied without the applicator being in contact with the surface of the silver halide photographic image, which reduces the probability of disturbing the silver halide images.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a polymer protection film can be formed effectively with apparatus in accordance with the present invention with significantly reduced material and equipment costs.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it does not involve volatile chemicals involved in the wet coating techniques in some prior art.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the thickness and the area of the polymer protection film can be controlled by a computer and control electronics.
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Hanley Susan E.
O'Connor Kevin M.
Wen Xin
Eastman Kodak Company
Owens Raymond L.
Rutledge D.
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