Patents by Inventor Dennis Edward Smith

Dennis Edward Smith has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20020004548
    Abstract: The present invention is a process for making polymeric particles by reacting an ethylenically unsaturated monomer as a dispersed phase suspended in an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase contains a water-insoluble particulate stabilizer having a size less than 100 nanometers in an effective amount of water-soluble inorganic salt to allow formation of stable monomer droplets in the aqueous phase, the monomer droplets include at least 20% of a carboxylic acid-containing monomer. The present invention also provides an imaging element comprising a support and at least one layer containing polymer particles of the formula: (A)x(B)y, where A is ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing carboxylic acid groups, B is a water insoluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer, x is greater than 20% and y is equal to 100% minus x. The polymer particles are covered with a layer of water-insoluble solid particulate stabilizer having a size less than 100 nanometers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Publication date: January 10, 2002
    Inventors: DENNIS EDWARD SMITH, JOHN LEONARD MUEHLBAUER, YONGCAI WANG
  • Patent number: 6303281
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic element comprises a support having thereon at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and a light-insensitive protective layer, the light-insensitive protective layer comprising an ultraviolet absorbing layer closer to the support and an outermost protective layer, the ultraviolet absorbing layer comprising an ultraviolet aborbing dye, a high boiling organic solvent, and a hydrophilic binder, the outermost protective layer comprising insoluble matte particles having a mean particle size of larger than 0.5 &mgr;m, dispersed polymer particles having a mean size of less than 0.2 &mgr;m, and a glass transition temperature of at least 70° C., and a hydrophilic binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yongcai Wang, Melvin Michael Kestner, Alfred Bruce Fant, Dennis Edward Smith
  • Patent number: 5948605
    Abstract: The present invention provides UV absorbing particles which are a polymerization reaction product of ethylenically unsaturated monomers selected from esters and amides of acrylic on methacrylic acid, vinyl esters, vinyl ethers, and vinyl nitrites; an initiator, a surfactant and an ultraviolet absorber having the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R is each independently a hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, acyloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, amine, alkylamino, arylamino, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, acylamino, sulfonyl, sulfamido, acyloxy and oxycarbonyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yongcai Wang, Dennis Edward Smith, James Lee Bello, Kurt Michael Schroeder
  • Patent number: 5935742
    Abstract: A photographic material comprising a cassette containing a processed photographic element, the photographic element comprising a support, at least one light sensitive silver halide layer and a protective overcoat layer on the light sensitive layer, the protective overcoat layer comprising a hydrophilic binder and permanent matte particles, the permanent matte particles comprising greater than 80 mole percent methyl methacrylate and having a mean particle size of from 1 to 1.8 .mu.m and a coating weight of from 70 to 250 mg/m.sup.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yongcai Wang, Dennis Edward Smith, Alfred Bruce Fant, Melvin Michael Kestner
  • Patent number: 5834174
    Abstract: A photographic element comprising a support, at least one hydrophilic light-sensitive layer, and a light-insensitive layer containing a binder and solid, nonporous polymer matte particle having the formula:(A).sub.x (B).sub.ywhere A is a monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomer, B is a polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomer, x is from 0 to 55 mole %, and y is about 45 to 100 mole %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dennis Edward Smith, Yongcai Wang, Patrick M. Jeffries
  • Patent number: 5783380
    Abstract: A thermally processable imaging element is comprised of:(1) a support;(2) a thermographic or photothermographic imaging layer on one side of the support;(3) a transparent protective layer comprising:(A) a film forming binder;(B) a dye in said protective layer in an amount sufficient to impart a pre-selected color thereto; and(C) matte particles, the color of which substantially matches the color of the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dennis Edward Smith, Sharon Marilyn Melpolder, John Leonard Muehlbauer
  • Patent number: 5770353
    Abstract: Silver halide photographic elements are disclosed comprising a support having a front and a back side, at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and a light-insensitive protective overcoat on the front side of the support, and a magnetic recording layer on the back side of the support, the light-insensitive protective overcoat comprising an outermost protective layer, wherein the outermost protective layer comprises a hydrophilic binder and dispersed particles having a mean size of less than 0.4 .mu.m of a polymer having a glass transition temperature of at least 70.degree. C. comprising units derived from monomers A and B at a weight ratio of A:B of from 97:3 to 80:20 and less than 3 wt % ionic monomers, where A represents ethylenically unsaturated monomers which form substantially water insoluble homopolymers and B represents ethylenically unsaturated non-ionic monomers capable of forming water soluble homopolymers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yongcai Wang, Alfred Bruce Fant, Dennis Edward Smith, Kurt Michael Schroeder, Melvin Michael Kestner
  • Patent number: 5750328
    Abstract: Thermally processable imaging elements in which the image is formed by imagewise heating or by imagewise exposure to light followed by uniform heating are comprised of a support, a thermographic or photothermographic imaging layer, a protective overcoat layer and a backing layer and include in at least one layer thereof, polymeric matte particles comprising a polymeric core surrounded by a layer of colloidal inorganic particles. The polymeric matte particles provide enhanced image quality and improved processing characteristics with respect to adhesion, dusting and lack of haze.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Sharon Marilyn Melpolder, Dennis Edward Smith, Christopher Edwin Wheeler, John Leonard Muehlbauer
  • Patent number: 5738983
    Abstract: A photographic imaging element comprising a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide layer, and a light-insensitive layer comprising a polymer particle of the formula:(A).sub.x (B).sub.y (C).sub.z (I)where A is a polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated crosslinking monomer, B is an ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing carboxylic acid groups, C is a monofunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomer other than B, x is about 0.1 to 2 mole percent, y is about 35 to 70 mole percent and z equals 100-(x+y) mole percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dennis Edward Smith, Alfred Bruce Fant, John Leonard Muehlbauer, Yongcai Wang
  • Patent number: 5709986
    Abstract: A photographic element having a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide layer and a layer containing matte bead particles, the matte bead particles being a copolymer of a styrenic monomer or acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or an acrylic acid ester or a methacrylic acid ester or mixture thereof where the ester group contains up to 6 carbon atoms and an acrylic or methacrylic acid ester where the ester group has from 10 to 22 carbon atoms, each matte bead particle being surrounded by colloidal size particles of a suspension stabilizing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Dennis Edward Smith, John Leonard Muehlbauer, Yongcai Wang
  • Patent number: 5662279
    Abstract: A method of preparing milled solid particles of a compound comprises the steps of forming a slurry of a liquid medium, the compound and rigid milling media in a milling chamber, contacting the compound with the milling media while in the chamber to reduce the particle size of the compound, and thereafter separating the compound from the milling media by vacuum filtration through a removable filter probe immersed in the slurry. In a preferred embodiment, the milling media is a polymeric resin having a mean particle size of less than 300 .mu.m. The method enables the use of fine milling media which provides extremely fine particles of the compound while avoiding problems, e.g., decrease yields due to separator screen plugging, associated with prior art processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David Alan Czekai, Larry Paul Seaman, Dennis Edward Smith