Abstract: A hydrophobically capped oligomeric acrylamide or pyrrolidone is employed as a coating aid in coating compositions, especially such compositions useful in the manufacture of photographic products. Preferred coating aids are surfactants having the general formula in which R, R1 and R2 are each independently selected from aliphatic hydrocarbyl, aryl-(aliphatic hydrocarbyl) and (aliphatic hydrocarbyl)-aryl groups, which groups may be unsubstituted, partially fluorinated or fully fluorinated, L is a sulphur atom or a linking group that contains a sulphur atom attached to the T group and T is a hydrophilic oligomeric group obtainable by the oligomerisation of one or more vinyl monomers having an amido function.

Abstract: A gelatin based photographic coating contains at least gelatin and colloidal alumina particles less than 0.2 &mgr;m. Additionally, the coating may contain any photographic addenda that may be important to the performance of a photographic product, as well as a chemical hardening agent that forms crosslinks in the coating. The alumina filled gelatin coating, when swollen with water or a photo processing solution yields an increase in wet durability in the form of an increased wet scratch resistance.

Abstract: A vacuum lubricant deposition station coats a lubricant onto the back side of a moving web prior to coating the front side with emulsions. The deposition station has a sidewall creating a chamber containing a heat source along its bottom and an evaporating tray above the heater which holds the lubricant to be vacuum vapor deposited on the web. A water cooled jacket fits about the top of the sidewall and receives the film through a narrow slot between its top and bottom plates to expose the back side of the film to a vapor cloud of lubricant in the chamber. Lubricant from the cloud deposits on the back side of the web. Stray lubricant from the cloud condenses on the bottom plate which receives cooling water through an inlet. The cooling water traverses the length of the bottom plate, enters the top plate through a water loop connecting the top and bottom plates, and exits through the top plate. The vapor cloud condenses on the bottom plate before reaching the front side of the film.

Abstract: A photographic support comprising; a polyester base having a first and a second side; an antistatic layer superposed on the first side of the base; a gelatin layer superposed on the second side of the base; and an auxiliary layer overlying said antistatic layer comprising 20 to 80 percent by weight hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and a second binder.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of cutting an imaging element. An imaging element is moved through a cutting zone formed by a first cutting blade having a first cutting surface and a first engaging surface and a second cutting blade having a second cutting surface and a second engaging surface. In the cutting zone the first engaging surface and the second engaging surface are in contact for a distance greater than or equal to a thickness of the imaging element. The first cutting surface and said second cutting surface are separated by from 1 to 30 percent of the thickness of the imaging element in the cutting zone. The present invention reduces debris and skiving generation.

Abstract: A coating composition comprising a solution of an electrically-conductive polymer and an organic solvent media wherein the solvents are selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ketones, cycloalkanes, arenes, esters, glycol ethers and their mixtures; the media having a water content of less than 12 weight percent. Such a coating composition provides a means to protect an imaging element against the accumulation of static electrical charges before and after image processing while also providing the element with improved manufacturability and physical properties.

Abstract: A photographic element comprising a polyester support; an antistatic layer; and a transparent magnetic layer comprising a cellulose binder, ferromagnetic particles and a blocked isocyanate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polymer particle having a wax phase and a second phase. The wax phase includes a wax having a melting point of greater than 30° C. and comprising greater than 80% by weight of the wax phase. The second phase, free of ionic charge groups, includes a mono-alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated monomer free of ionic charge groups capable of addition polymerization to form a water soluble homopolymer including from 1 to 40% by weight of the second phase and a mono-alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated monomer capable of addition polymerization to form a water insoluble homopolymer.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of depositing a lubricating layer on an imaging element. The method includes providing a polymer or a wax selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), fluorinated ethylene copolymers, polyethylenes, high density polyethylene, natural waxes such as Carnauba wax, synthetic waxes, and silicone waxes in a deposition chamber. The chamber is evacuated to a pressure of 10−1 Torr or less. A carrier gas, preferably selected from N2, O2, Ar, is bled into the chamber while maintaining the pressure in the chamber to 100 mTorr or less. The polymer or wax is heated to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the polymer or wax, and the imaging element is continuously moved through the chamber depositing the polymer or wax on the imaging element to form the lubricating layer.

Abstract: A process for forming an abrasion-resistant antistatic layer for an imaging element comprises: adjusting the pH of an aqueous composition of an electronically-conductive polymer to a pH of about 3 to about 10, and combining the pH-adjusted aqueous composition of the electronically-conductive polymer with an aqueous composition at a pH greater than 7 of a polyurethane film-forming binder having a tensile elongation to break of at least 50% and a Young's modulus measured at 2% elongation of at least 50000 psi. The process further comprises applying the resulting coating composition to the imaging element, thereby forming an abrasion-resistant antistatic layer on the element. The antistatic layer coating composition of the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of imaging elements, including, for example, photographic, electrostatographic, photothermographic, migration, electrothermographic, dielectric recording and thermal-dye-transfer imaging elements.

Abstract: A photographic element having an antistatic layer comprising: a conductive agent, a colloidal sol, and a polymeric film-forming binder having a peel strength of 400 g or greater on a polypropylene surface.

Abstract: The present invention is an imaging element which includes a support and at least one imaging layer superposed on the support. The imaging layer includes a scratch resistant outermost layer either overlying the imaging layer or on the side opposite the imaging layer, and is composed of a ductile polymer having a modulus greater than 100 MPa measured at 20° C. and a tensile elongation to break greater than 50 percent, and a stiff filler having a modulus greater than 10 GPa at a volume concentration in the scratch resistant layer of 30 to 60%. The scratch resistant layer has a thickness of at least 0.5 &mgr;m.

Abstract: The present invention is milling media composed of ceramic particles having an average size of 0.1 to 20 mm. The ceramic particles contain a tetragonal zirconia core and a continuous shell on the core comprising cubic zirconia, monoclinic zirconia, spinel or zircon. The present invention is also a method of manufacturing the milling media which includes providing ceramic particles having an average size of 0.1 to 20 mm. The ceramic particles are tetragonal zirconia. The ceramic particles are coated with a clay material and sintered to form a shell of cubic zirconia, monoclinic zirconia, spinel or zircon over the tetragonal zirconia core.

Abstract: A photographic element comprising a polyester support; an antistatic layer; and a transparent magnetic layer comprising a cellulose binder, ferromagnetic particles and a blocked isocyanate.

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.

Abstract: The present invention can relate to an imaging element including a support, at least one image forming layer superposed on the support, at least one transparent magnetic recording layer superposed on the support, and an electrically-conductive layer superposed on the support. The electrically-conductive layer may include a sulfonated polyurethane film-forming binder and at least one metal antimonate particle.

Abstract: A coating composition is provided for master media for anhysteretic transfer of magnetically recorded information to a copy medium which comprises from about 59 to about 69% of a magnetic pigment, from about 2.95 to about 6.90% of an abrasive powder, from 0 to about 5.4% of a colloidal inorganic powder, from about 2.9 to about 4.5% of a wetting agent, from about 0.7 to about 3.1% of a lubricant, from about 14.1 to about 33.6% of a binder, at least 85% of which is a polyurethane and from 0.05 to about 15% of which is a polyisocyanate crosslinking agent. The composition is preferably disposed on a substrate backcoated with a composition containing from about 15 to about 25% of carbon black, from about 15 to about 25% of an inorganic filler, from about 0.5 to about 2% of an abrasive, from about 20 to about 30% of a vinyl copolymeric binder, from about 15 to about 25% of a polyurethane binder, from about 7.5 to about 17.5% of an NCO terminated crosslinking agent, from about 0.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus for producing an image on a gelatin coated ink receiver includes, at least one ink reservoir for providing ink for printing the image; a first print head coupled to an ink receiver and at least one ink reservoir, for producing disposing ink spots on the ink receiver; a hardening fluid reservoir for providing a hardening fluid for treating the ink spots disposed on the receiver; and a second print head coupled to the ink receiver and the fluid reservoir, for depositing the fluid on the ink spots disposed on the ink receiver whereby the gelatin coating is cross-linked with the hardening fluid thus improving the image stability and durability of the image.

Abstract: An photographic element comprising: a support with two sides; at least one sensitized layer on one side of the support; at least one transparent magnetic layer on another side of the support, opposite the sensitized layer; and a lubricant layer deposited on the transparent magnetic layer,wherein the lubricant layer is a fluorinated polymer selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymer resins, polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylene polymer, fluorinated ethylene propylene, perfluoroalkoxy copolymer resins, and amorphous fluoropolymers.

Abstract: The toner fuser roll of the present invention, which is characterized by good thermal conductivity and resistance to degradation by release agents in addition to excellent wear properties, is capable of producing toner fused images with desirably high gloss. In accordance with the invention, the fuser roll comprises a cylindrical core and a base cushion layer comprising a condensation-cured poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomer formed on the core. A barrier layer that comprises a cured fluorocarbon polymer and includes a particulate filler overlies the cushion layer. Overlying the barrier layer is a highly smooth outer surface layer comprising an addition-cured poly(dimethylsiloxane) elastomer and having a roughness value, Ra, no greater than about 10 microinches. Further in accordance with the invention is a process for forming the just described toner fuser roll.