Photothermographic material and image forming method

• US 20040234909A1
• Filed: 05/04/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Ryo, Inoue, Rikio
• Application Number:
  US10/837,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20040234909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/617
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/005 Silver halide emulsions; Preparation thereof; Physical treatment thereof; Incorporation of additives therein catalytic amounts of silver halide in dry silver systems or thermographic systems using noble metal compounds G03C1/494
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/49818 Silver halides
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/49854 Dyes or precursors of dyes for diffusion-transfer G03C8/10, G03C8/4013
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 1/49881 characterised by the process or the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 2001/03558 Iodide content
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 2001/0854 Indium
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 2005/166 Ultraviolet sensitive material or UV exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 2200/39 Laser exposure

Abstract

The present invention provides a photothermographic material which includes at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, on a support, and contains (a) a first dye having an absorption maximum in a range of 370 nm to 420 nm and (b) a second dye satisfying the following conditions (1) and (2) in the CIELAB color space:

condition (1) 190°<hab<280°; and

condition (2) (100−L*)/Cab*<0.75,

wherein hab=tan⁻¹(b*/a*); and Cab*=(a*²+b*²)^1/2.

The invention also provides an image forming method using the photothermographic material. The photothermographic material and the image forming method are especially suitable for forming images for medical diagnosis that are excellent in sharpness and in clearness.

Claims

1. A photothermographic material comprising at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, on a support, wherein the photothermographic material contains (a) a first dye having an absorption maximum in a range of 370 nm to 420 nm and (b) a second dye satisfying the following conditions (1) and (2) in the CIELAB color space:

condition (1) 190°

<

hab<

280°

; and

condition (2) (100−

L*)/Cab*<

0.75,

wherein hab=tan<sup>−

1</sup>(b*/a*); and

Cab*=(a*²+b*²)^1/2.

6. The photothermographic material according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a spectral absorption of the first dye at 405 nm to a spectral absorption of the first dye at 425 nm is 5 or higher.

8. The photothermographic material according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive silver halide has a silver iodide content of 10% by mole or higher.

10. An image forming method comprising a step of exposing the photothermographic material according to claim 1 to a light source having a maximum wavelength in a range of 370 nm to 420 nm.

11. The image forming method according to claim 10, wherein the light source is a laser beam source.

2. A photothermographic material comprising at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, on a support, wherein the photothermographic material contains (a) a first dye having an absorption maximum in a range of 370 nm to 420 nm and (b) a second dye and a third dye that are different from the first dye and a combination of the second dye and the third dye satisfy the following conditions (1) and (2) in the CIELAB color space:

condition (1) 190°

<

hab<

280°

; and

condition (2) (100−

L*)/Cab*<

0.75,

wherein hab=tan<sup>−

1</sup>(b*/a*); and

Cab*=(a*²+b*²)^1/2.

3. The photothermographic material according to claim 2, wherein one of the second dye and the third dye satisfies the following condition (3) and the other satisfies the following condition (4):

condition (3) 190°

<

hab<

250°

; and

condition (4) 280°

<

hab<

320°

.

4. The photothermographic material according to claim 2, wherein one of the second dye and the third dye satisfies the following condition (5) and the other satisfies the following condition (6):

condition (5) 180°

<

hab<

2300; and

condition (6) 2600<

hab<

2800.

5. The photothermographic material according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the second dye and the third dye is contained in the form of lipophilic fine particles formed by dissolving the dye in an organic solvent having a high boiling point, which is substantially water-insoluble and water-immiscible, and the lipophilic fine particles are dispersed in water.

7. The photothermographic material according to claim 2, wherein a ratio of a spectral absorption of the first dye at 405 nm to a spectral absorption of the first dye at 425 nm is 5 or higher.

9. The photothermographic material according to claim 2, wherein the photosensitive silver halide has a silver iodide content of 10% by mole or higher.

12. An image forming method comprising a step of exposing the photothermographic material according to claim 2 to a light source having a maximum wavelength in a range of 370 nm to 420 nm.

13. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the light source is a laser beam source.