Processing system for a color photothermographic film comprising dry thermal development and wet-chemical remediation

• US 20020018967A1
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mark E. Irving, Richard P. Szajewski
• Original Assignee: Mark E. Irving, Richard P. Szajewski
• Inventors: Szajewski, Richard P., Irving, Mark E.
• Application Number:
  US09/854,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/351
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/42 Developers or their precursors
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/498 Photothermographic systems, e.g. dry silver
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/49827 Reducing agents
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/49881 characterised by the process or the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 2007/3043 Original suitable to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 5/261 Non-bath processes, e.g. using pastes, webs, viscous compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 7/30 Colour processes using colour-coupling substances; Materials therefor; Preparing or processing such materials
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 7/3041 Materials with specific sensitometric characteristics, e.g. gamma, density
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 7/30541 characterised by the released group
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 7/407 Development processes or agents therefor G03C7/3244 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of processing color photographic film that has been imagewise exposed in a camera, said film having at least three light-sensitive units which have their individual sensitivities in different wavelength regions, each of the units comprising at least one light-sensitive silver-halide emulsion, one or more organic silver salts, a binder, and dye-providing coupler, which method in order comprises: (a) thermally developing the film step without any externally applied developing agent, comprising heating said film to a temperature greater than 80° C. in an essentially dry process, such that an internally located blocked developing agent in reactive association with each of said three light-sensitive units becomes unblocked to form a developing agent, whereby the unblocked developing agent forms dyes by reacting with the dye-providing couplers to form a color image; and (b) scanning the color image to provide a digital electronic record capable of generating a positive color image in a display element, wherein the silver halide and the organic silver salts in the film are removed and/or stabilized before or after step (b), such that the film is in an archival state. Typically, a positive-image color print from the desilvered film. Optionally, the developed metallic silver can also be removed.

Claims

1. A method of processing color photographic film that has been imagewise exposed in a camera, said film having at least three light-sensitive units which have their individual sensitivities in different wavelength regions, each of the units comprising at least one light-sensitive silver-halide emulsion, one or more organic silver salts, a binder, and dye-providing coupler, which method in order comprises:

(a) thermally developing the film step without any externally applied developing agent, comprising heating said film to a temperature greater than 80°

C. in an essentially dry process, such that an internally located blocked developing agent in reactive association with each of said three light-sensitive units becomes unblocked to form a developing agent, whereby the unblocked developing agent forms dyes by reacting with the dye-providing couplers to form a color image; and

(b) scanning the color image to provide a digital electronic record capable of generating a positive color image in a display element,

wherein the silver halide and the organic silver salts in the film are removed and/or stabilized before or after step (b), such that the film is in an archival state.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of (c) forming a positive-image color print from the desilvered film;

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the developed metallic silver is not removed.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising stabilization of the silver halide and silver organic salts with a common stabilization chemical.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the removal or stabilization of the silver halide and silver organic salts employs a coated laminate comprising a fixing and/or stabilizing agent.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the silver metal is not removed prior to the color print.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the metallic silver is bleached to silver ion, followed by removal from the film, either the same time as the removal of the silver halide and organic silver salts or, afterwards, in a later silver recycling process.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing in at least steps (a) and (b) is accomplished in a kiosk, but the fixing and/or bleaching is accomplished later at a retail photofinishing lab.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the processing in at least steps (a) through (c) including the fixing and/or bleaching is accomplished in a kiosk.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the process comprises in order heat development, fixing, washing, drying, and scanning, to obtain an archival film.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the blocked developing agent comprises a group having the following structure:

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the blocked developer has a half-life (t_½

)≦

20 min, and a peak discrimination, at a temperature of at least 60°

C., of at least 2.0, which blocked developer is represented by the following Structure;

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the compound of Structure I is represented by Structure III:

11. A method of processing color photographic film that has been imagewise exposed in a camera, said film having at least three light-sensitive units which have their individual sensitivities in different wavelength regions, each of the units comprising at least one light-sensitive silver-halide emulsion, binder, and dye-providing coupler, which method in order comprises:

(a) thermally developing the film step without any externally applied developing agent, comprising heating said film to a temperature greater than 80°

C. in an essentially dry process, such that an internally located blocked developing agent in reactive association with each of said three light-sensitive units becomes unblocked to form a developing agent, whereby the unblocked developing agent forms dyes by reacting with the dye-providing couplers to form a color image;

(c) desilvering said film in one or more desilvering solutions to remove the silver halide and organic silver salts, but not the metallic silver, thereby forming an improved color image for scanning; and

(d) scanning the color negative image in the film a second time after desilvering, to provide a digital improved electronic record of the color image to generate an improved digital electronic record of the color image capable of generating a positive color image in a display element.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising after step (d) forming a positive-image color print from the desilvered film.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the color print is generated by thermal-diffusion or ink-jet printing.

14. The method of claim 11 comprising in step (d) the following steps:

scanning said developed image to form an analog electronic representation of said developed image;

digitizing said analog electronic representation to form a digital image;

digitally modifying said digital image; and

storing, transmitting, printing, or displaying said modified digital image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the film is further processed with a color filter array.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the film is a high speed chromogenic black and white film.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein Dp is 3 to 10 and Dp is at a temperature of 100 to 160°

C.

21. The method of claim 19, where LINK is represented by the following structure:

22. The method of claim 21, where LINK has the following structure:

25. The method of claim 24, wherein X is a sulfonyl group and Z is NR₂R₃.

16. A method of processing color photographic film that has been imagewise exposed in a camera, said film having at a light-sensitive layer unit having sensitivity to visible light and comprising at least one light-sensitive silver-halide emulsion, one or more organic silver salts, a binder, and dye-providing coupler, which method in order comprises:

(a) thermally developing the film step without any externally applied developing agent, comprising heating said film to a temperature greater than 80°

C. in an essentially dry process, such that an internally located blocked developing agent in reactive association with the light-sensitive layer unit becomes unblocked to form a developing agent, whereby the unblocked developing agent forms dye by reacting with the dye-providing coupler to form an image; and

(b) scanning the image to provide a digital electronic record capable of generating a positive image in a display element,

wherein the silver halide and the organic silver salts in the film are removed and/or stabilized before or after step (b), such that the film is in an archival state.