Abstract: A high-efficiency holographic diffuser is provided, the holographic diffuser being comparatively thin, yet characterized by good optical density along a broad bandwidth.

Abstract: A thermally-activatable overcoat-releasing laminate useful for the application of a protective overcoat onto a planar surface, such as a binary image surface on a peel-developed laminar imaging medium, is provided. The overcoat-releasing laminate comprises a durable layer and an adhesive layer firmly interconnected at an interface, the firm interconnection being resultant of polymerization of a photopolymerizable monomer by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. As effected by the firm interconnection, use of the overcoat-releasing laminate is characterized by reliable release of the protective overcoat from a carrier web.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for the on-press development and printing of images. The method generally comprises the steps of providing a lithographic printing plate precursor element comprising a lithographic hydrophilic printing plate substrate, a photohardenable photoresist, and a layer of polymeric protective overcoat; imagewise exposing the precursor element to actinic radiation through said photoresist and overcoat layer sufficiently to photoharden the photoresist in exposed regions and provide a latent image in said photoresist layer; placing the precursor element onto a lithographic printing press; and running the press, whereby printing fluid effects removal of the overcoat and development of said latent image. In particular modes of practices, the method utilizes an overcoat having incorporated therein a water or fountain soluble or dispersible crystalline compound. The overcoat can be used as an oxygen barrier and/or to provide a non-tacky surface on the printing plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a quenching overcoat useful for application onto a lithographic printing plate, the overcoat having incorporated therein a water or fountain soluble or dispersible crystalline compound. The overcoat may be used as an oxygen barrier and/or to provide a non-tacky surface on the printing plate. By the incorporation of the crystalline compound, on-press removability of the overcoat is facilitated.

Abstract: This invention relates to a new and improved light-polarizing sheet comprising molecularly oriented polyvinyl alcohol containing an oriented block segments of polyvinylene and said polyvinyl alcohol. In particular, the polarizing sheet comprises a polyvinylalcohol/polyvinylene block copolymer material wherein the polyvinylene blocks thereof are formed by molecular dehydration of a sheet of polyvinylalcohol; said sheet of polyvinylalcohol/polyvinylene block copolymer material comprising a uniform distribution of light-polarizing molecules of polyvinylalcohol/polyvinylene block copolymer material varying in the length, n, of the conjugated repeating vinylene unit of the polyvinylene block of the copolymer throughout the range of from 2 to 24; the concentration of each of said polyvinylene blocks, as determined by the absorption of wavelengths ranging from 200 to 700 nm remaining relatively constant, the degree of orientation of said light-polarizing molecules, as measured by the spectral dichroic ratio, R.sub.

Abstract: Reflective image-providing displays viewed with holographically diffused light are provided. As one particular and preferred embodiment, a liquid crystal display component is presented comprising a liquid crystal display element backed with a reflective transmission holographic diffuser. Images of good contrast may be displayed and viewed from the liquid crystal display component under ambient lighting conditions and without further requirement of supplemental light sources, such as edge-lighting and backlighting.

Abstract: A puzzle, solved by arranging scrambled visual information in a predetermined visually recognizable pattern, is provided. In one form, the puzzle comprises a plurality of puzzle pieces arrangeable to form at least one surface according to said predetermined visually recognizable pattern, at least one of said pieces bearing a reflection hologram designed to reconstruct a first form of visual image information when observed at a first viewing angle and a second form of visual image information when observed at a second viewing angle, said first and second forms of visual image information being "different in type". In another form, the present invention provides a puzzle comprising a plurality of puzzle pieces arrangeable to form at least one surface according to a predetermined visually recognizable pattern, and wherein at least one of said pieces bears a reflection hologram designed to reconstruct visual image information, the peak angle of reconstruction being substantially normal to said surface.

Abstract: A lithographic printing plate precursor for use on a printing press, with minimal or no additional processing after exposure to actinic radiation, comprises a printing plate substrate, a polymeric resist layer capable of imagewise photodegradation or photohardening, and a plurality of microencapsulated developers capable of blanket-wise promoting the washing out of either exposed or unexposed areas of the polymeric resist. The microencapsulated developers may be integrated into the polymeric resist layer, or may form a separate layer deposited atop the polymeric resist layer, or may be coated onto a separate sheet support capable of being brought into face-to-face contact with conventional printing plates.

Abstract: The present invention discloses the use of rubber and surfactant to enhance the durability and resolution of on-press developable lithographic printing plates. The rubber is preferably incorporated into a photoresist as discrete particulate rubber. To ensure a uniform and stable dispersion, the rubber is suspended in the photoresist by means of a surfactant having an HLB approximately between 7.0 and 18.0.

Abstract: Described is the use of a plasticizing-permeation enhancing additive in negative-working, on-press developable lithographic printing plates. Briefly, a plasticizer, which is dispersible or soluble in press fountain and ink solutions and soluble in acrylic monomers and oligomers, are incorporated into a plate's photoresist at concentrations sufficient to enhance said resist's permeability to or diffusion by press solutions. Such additives make the photoresist more permeable to fountain solution prior to crosslinking, while being easily extracted with ink and fountain solution after crosslinking. In certain embodiments, a surfactant is added to facilitate the dispersion of hydrophobic remnants of removed resist material in the fountain solution, and thereby reduce scumming. Lithium salts may also be incorporated into the photoresist to disrupt hydrogen bonding of, for example, urethane acrylate polymers which tend to associate by hydrogen bonding.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lithographic printing plate comprising a substrate and a photocurable polymeric photoresist, such as those based on free-radical initiated photocuring mechanisms. To constrain detrimental and undesired activity of excess free radicals, an embodiment of the printing plate is further provided with a free-radical regulating system. In a particular embodiment, the free-radical regulating system is provided as an overcoat, the overcoat being a light-transmissive overcoat and comprising a polymer having a pendant free-radical trapping group. A particular polymer for the overcoat has the formula ##STR1## wherein, m is from approximately 20% by weight to approximately 95% by weight, and n is from approximately 0% by weight to approximately 75% by weight. Capable of deactivating free-radicals actinically generated in the photoresist subsequent to exposure, the polymer is soluble in fountain or ink solution and incompatible with the photoresist.

Abstract: A peel-developable imaging medium for the imagewise recordation of information is provided, the imaging medium having therein a plurality of fracturable layers, the plurality comprising a porous or particulate image-forming layer and a release layer, and at least one of the fracturable layers having incorporated therein a boric ion generating species. In particular embodiments, the fracturable layers contain crosslinked borated polymeric binder. The laminar imaging medium is characterized by good imaging performance in an extended range of environmental conditions.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for mass production of transmission holograms onto a continuous web of photosensitive material, one method involving the mounting of a master transmission hologram onto the outside surface of a clear hollow drum, the clear hollow drum being rotatable and having means for directing an irradiating wavefront propagated from a radiation source through the master transmission hologram onto a passing recording medium in a predetermined direction, the directing means configured so that said predetermined direction is fixedly maintainable independent of the rotation of the hollow drum and the master transmission hologram mounted thereon. The redirected irradiating wavefront transmitted through the master transmission hologram generates an object beam and a "zero order" reference beam, said object beam and "zero order" reference beam combine to form an interference pattern, the interference pattern being recorded on the photosensitive recording medium.

Abstract: A two-phase acidic aqueous composition for use as a neutralization layer is generally comprised of a water soluble aqueous phase and a water insoluble particle phase. The particle phase generally comprises a copolymer having recurring units of an organic acid monomer and an organic ester monomer. The aqueous phase comprises a water soluble polymer having recurring units of at least an organic acid monomer. The organic acid monomers selected for the aqueous phase polymer are capable of interacting with the particle phase polymers such that the particle phase polymers are brought into stabilizing, intimate association with the aqueous phase.

Abstract: The present invention sets forth the incorporation of a substituted 2-phenyl-4,6-bis (trichloromethyl)-1,3,5-triazine in photoresists of lithographic printing plates for the purpose of promoting their shelf-life, room light stability, and developability. The present invention provides a photocurable composition comprising at least a photopolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer having at least one terminal ethylenic group and capable of forming a polymer upon exposure to actinic radiation; and an s-triazine capable of initiating free radical polymerization of the photopolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer and being represented by the following general formula [I]: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is either OR.sub.4 or NR.sub.5 R.sub.6, wherein R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 may or may not be identical with each other, either R.sub.5 or R.sub.6 may represent hydrogen, and wherein R.sub.4 and at least one of R.sub.5 and R.sub.

Abstract: A photoreactive binder that may be used to enhance photospeed in either conventional plates or on-press developable lithographic printing plates. Briefly, a polymer of m-isopropenyl-.alpha.,.alpha.-dimethylbenzyl isocyanate is derivatized for vinyl group reactivity by reacting the isocyanate groups thereof with hydroxyalkyl acrylate. The resulting photopolymeric binder provides significantly higher photospeed than the non-reactive binder currently utilized in the production of conventional printing plates. The resulting lithographic printing plate also shows better durability (as manifested by longer run-length) and is more easily developed by the microencapsulated developers utilized in the present invention. As to the preparation of the photoreactive binders, the application discloses a method of copolymerizing m-isopropenyl-.alpha.,.alpha.

Abstract: A peel-developable imaging medium for the imagewise recordation of information is provided, the imaging medium having therein a plurality of fracturable layers, the plurality comprising a porous or particulate image-forming layer and a release layer, and at least one of the fracturable layers being deposited from a dispersion containing a hydrophobic cycloaliphatic polyepoxide. The laminar imaging medium is characterized by good imaging performance in an extended range of environmental conditions.

Abstract: A lithographic printing plate for use on a printing press, with minimal or no additional processing after exposure to actinic radiation, comprises a printing plate substrate, a polymeric resist layer capable of imagewise photodegradation or photohardening, and a plurality of microencapsulated developers capable of blanket-wise promoting the washing out of either exposed or unexposed areas of the polymeric resist. The microencapsulated developers may be integrated into the polymeric resist layer, or may form a separate layer deposited atop the polymeric resist layer, or may be coated onto a separate sheet support capable of being brought into face-to-face contact with conventional printing plates.

Abstract: A photoreactive binder that may be used to enhance photospeed in either conventional plates or on-press developable lithographic printing plates. Briefly, a polymer of m-isopropenyl-.alpha.,.alpha.-dimethylbenzyl isocyanate is derivatized for vinyl group reactivity by reacting the isocyanate groups thereof with hydroxyalkyl acrylate. The resulting photopolymeric binder provides significantly higher photospeed than the non-reactive binder currently utilized in the production of conventional printing plates. The resulting lithographic printing plate also shows better durability (as manifested by longer run-length) and is more easily developed by the microencapsulated developers utilized in the present invention. As to the preparation of the photoreactive binders, the application discloses a method of copolymerizing m-isopropenyl-.alpha.,.alpha.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for substantially interfacially adhering a suitable protective overcoat onto a receiving surface utilizes therein an optical lamination roller. The optical lamination roller is configured to be capable of substantially transmitting and concentrating optical radiation toward a protective overcoat. Irradiation of the protective overcoat in cooperation with compressive forces generated at the nip effectuate bonding between the protective overcoat and the receiving surface. The optical lamination system provides fast and energy efficient throughput with enhanced reliability of operation.