Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Edith A. Rice
  • Patent number: 6342341
    Abstract: This invention comprises a silver halide photographic element comprising at least one sensitive silver halide emulsion layer comprising silver halide grains that have been epitaxially sensitized and a fragmentable electron donor compound is of the formula X—Y′ or a compound which contains a moiety of the formula —X—Y′; wherein X is an electron donor moiety, Y′ is a leaving proton H or a leaving group Y, with the proviso that if Y′ is a proton, a base, &bgr;−, is covalently linked directly or indirectly to X, and wherein: 1) X—Y′ has an oxidation potential between 0 and about 1.4 V; and 2) the oxidized form of X—Y′ undergoes a bond cleavage reaction to give the radical X• and the leaving fragment Y′; and, optionally, 3) the radical X• has an oxidation potential ≦−0.7V (that is, equal to or more negative than about −0.7V).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2002
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Reed, Jerome R. Lenhard, David E. Fenton
  • Patent number: 6331385
    Abstract: This invention comprises a silver halide photographic material comprising at least one silver halide emulsion comprising tabular silver halide grains having associated therewith at least two dye layers comprising (a) an inner dye layer adjacent to the silver halide grain and comprising at least one dye that is capable of spectrally sensitizing silver halide and (b) an outer dye layer adjacent to the inner dye layer and comprising at least one dye, wherein the dye layers are held together by non-covalent forces or by in situ bond formation; the outer dye layer adsorbs light at equal or higher energy than the inner dye layer; and the energy emission wavelength of the outer dye layer overlaps with the energy absorption wavelength of the inner dye layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joseph C. Deaton, Richard L. Parton, Thomas L. Penner, William J. Harrison, David E. Fenton
  • Patent number: 6329133
    Abstract: This invention comprises a silver halide photographic material comprising at least one silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains having associated therewith a combination of two or more dyes wherein (b) (a) a dye having at least one substituent that has a negative charge is present, a dye having at least one substituent that has a positive charge is present, wherein at least one of the dyes is further substituted with at least one hydrogen bonding donor substituent. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the dyes is substituted with at least two hydrogen bonding donor substituents. In another preferred embodiment a silver halide photographic material comprises at least one silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains having associated therewith a dye substituted with at least one guanidinium, amidinium, or imine of urea substituent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrei Andrievsky, Richard L. Parton, Thomas L. Penner, William J. Harrison
  • Patent number: 6316173
    Abstract: This invention comprises a sheet comprising at least one photographically useful reducing agent ionically bound to an ion exchange matrix. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the sheet further comprises a binder and/or support and the ion exchange matrix comprises particles having an average particle size of less than about 10 micrometers (&mgr;m). This invention further comprises methods or processing photographic elements using said sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lyn M. Irving, Mark E. Irving, John M. Noonan
  • Patent number: 6312884
    Abstract: This invention comprises a photographic element comprising a light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer which contains a sensitizing dye of the formula: wherein: n is 0 or 1; X, Y, and Z are independently O, N, S, Se, or C; X′ is O, NR13, S, or Se; R1 and R2 are acid substituted alkyl; R4 is H or alkyl, with the proviso that if X′ is N, R4 is H; each of R6, R7, R8 and R9 is independently H or a substituent or R7 and R8 or R8 and R9 together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached form a 5-membered or 6-membered ring; when X or Y or Z is O, N, S or Se then a, b or c, respectively, is 0 and when X or Y or Z is C, a, b or c, respectively is 1 and the corresponding R10, R11, or R12 substituent is independently H or a non-aromatic substituent; and R13 is alkyl or substituted alkyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Steven G. Link, John D. Mee
  • Patent number: 6312883
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic material comprises at least one silver halide emulsion comprising silver halide grains having associated therewith at least two dyes: (a) a first dye that has at least one anionic substituent and that is capable of spectrally sensitizing a silver halide emulsion; and (b) a second dye of formula II  wherein: R1 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or aryl group; E3 represents the atoms necessary to complete a substituted or unsubstituted 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic nucleus; Ar1 represents an electron-withdrawing substituted aryl, or a substituted or unsubstituted electron-withdrawing heteroaryl group; L11 through L14 are substituted or unsubstituted methine groups; s is 0 or 1; G1 is an electron-withdrawing group; G2 is O or dicyanovinyl (C(CN)2); W1 is a counterion if necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Richard L. Parton, Thomas L. Penner, Stephen A. Hershey
  • Patent number: 6306570
    Abstract: A photographic element comprising at least one silver halide emulsion layer in which the silver halide is sensitized with a compound of the formula: wherein A is a silver halide adsorptive group that contains at least one atom of N, S, Se, or Te that promotes adsorption to silver halide, and Z is a light absorbing group including for example cyanine dyes, complex cyanine dyes, merocyanine dyes, complex merocyanine dyes, homopolar cyanine dyes, styryl dyes, oxonol dyes, hemioxonol dyes, and hemicyanine dyes, and XY is an fragmentable electron donor moiety in which X is an electron donor group and Y is a leaving group other than hydrogen, and wherein: 1) XY has an oxidation potential between 0 and about 1.4 V; and 2) the oxidized form of XY undergoes a bond cleavage reaction to give the radical X• and the leaving fragment Y. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the radical X• has an oxidation potential ≦−0.7 V.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Anthony Adin, Jerome J. Looker, Samir Y. Farid, Ian R. Gould, Stephen A. Godleski, Jerome R. Lenhard, Annabel A. Muenter, Lal C. Vishwakarma, Paul A. Zielinski
  • Patent number: 6306567
    Abstract: A dispersion comprising an aqueous medium having dispersed therein an aggregated dye of the Formula (I): wherein X is oxygen or sulfur; R1-R4 each independently represent an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted aryl group or an unsubstituted or substituted heteroaryl group; L1, L2 and L3 each independently represent substituted or unsubstituted methine groups; M+ represents a proton or an inorganic or organic cation; and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3 and wherein the aggregated dye in the dispersion has an absorption half bandwidth of less than 55 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Margaret Jones Helber, William James Harrison, Elizabeth Ann Gallo, Mary Christine Brick, Steven Wade Kortum, Gary Norman Barber
  • Patent number: 6300046
    Abstract: A dispersion comprising an aqueous medium having dispersed therein an aggregated dye of the Formula (I): wherein X is oxygen or sulfur; R1-R4 each independently represent an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted aryl group or an unsubstituted or substituted heteroaryl group; L1, L2 and L3 each independently represent substituted or unsubstituted methine groups; M+ represents a proton or an inorganic or organic cation; and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3 and wherein the aggregated dye in the dispersion has an absorption halfbandwidth of less than 55 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Margaret Jones Helber, William James Harrison, Elizabeth Ann Gallo, Mary Christine Brick, Steven Wade Kortum, Gary Norman Barber
  • Patent number: 6296994
    Abstract: A color photographic element particularly useful for colorimetrically accurate recording of scene exposures is disclosed, which is capable of producing differentiable dye images suitable for scanning and electronic image processing. The element has red, green and blue light recording silver halide emulsion layer units and provides broad, hypsochromic green spectral sensitivity that overlaps with the red spectral sensitivity. The wavelength of maximum sensitivity of the red recording emulsion layer unit is between about 580 and 620 nm, the wavelength of maximum sensitivity of the green recording emulsion layer unit is between about 520 and 565 nm, the relative sensitivity of the green recording emulsion layer unit at 50% of the maximum sensitivity exhibits an overall breadth of at least about 65 nm, and the relative sensitivity of the green recording emulsion layer unit at 520 nm is at least 60% of the maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Allan F. Sowinski, Lois A. Buitano, Steven G. Link
  • Patent number: 6291149
    Abstract: A dispersion comprising an aqueous medium having dispersed therein an aggregated dye of the Formula (I): wherein X is oxygen or sulfur; R1-R4 each independently represent an unsubstituted or substituted alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted aryl group or an unsubstituted or substituted heteroaryl group; L1, L2 and L3 each independently represent substituted or unsubstituted methine groups; M+ represents a proton or an inorganic or organic cation; and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3 and wherein the aggregated dye in the dispersion has an absorption halfbandwidth of less than 55 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Margaret Jones Helber, William James Harrison, Elizabeth Ann Gallo, Mary Christine Brick, Steven Wade Kortum, Gary Norman Barber
  • Patent number: 6287754
    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 which is an outermost layer on the same side of the support as the imaging layer, a backing layer which is an outermost layer on the side of the support opposite to the imaging layer, and an electroconductive agent in at least one layer of the element. Each of the protective overcoat layer and the backing layer contains a fluorosurfactant in an amount sufficient to serve as a triboelectric charge control agent and effective in providing essentially the same triboelectric charging characteristics to the backing layer as to the protective overcoat layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Sharon Marilyn Melpolder, Christopher Edwin Wheeler
  • Patent number: 6280913
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises at least one light-sensitive layer on a support wherein the photographic element also comprises at least one photographically useful compound, other than a reducing agent, ionically bound to an ion exchange matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mark E. Irving, Lyn M. Irving, John M. Noonan
  • Patent number: 6261757
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises at least one light-sensitive layer on a support wherein the photographic element also comprises a particulate ion exchange material having an average particle size of about 0.01 to about 10 &mgr;m and comprising at least one reducing agent ionically bound to an ion exchange matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lyn M. Irving, John M. Noonan, Mark E. Irving
  • Patent number: 6251578
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises: a support and, coated on the support, a plurality of hydrophilic colloid layers, including radiation-sensitive silver halide emulsion layers, forming layer units for separately recording blue, green and red exposures, wherein, the red recording layer unit is comprised of at least one green-red sensitive emulsion having a peak dyed absorptance of between about 525 and about 600 nm, an overall half-peak absorptance bandwidth of between about 70 and about 150 nm, and a ratio of the bandwidths at 80% of peak absorptance to 50% of peak absorptance of greater than or equal to about 0.25. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the photographic element is especially suited for more accurately recording scenes according to the human visual system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Lois A. Buitano, Allan F. Sowinski, Steven G. Link
  • Patent number: 6245497
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler, a magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler, a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler, wherein at least one of said emulsion layers comprises a) an emulsion with 3D, core/shell grains of at least 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jon N. Eikenberry, David T. Southby
  • Patent number: 6245480
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrahigh contrast photographic material comprising a support bearing a silver halide emulsion layer, containing a hydrazide nucleating agent in the emulsion layer or a hydrophilic colloid layer, characterised in that the nucleating agent of formula (I) comprises (a) two nicotinamide moieties, which may be the same or different, which are linked by a linking group, and (b) a hydrazide moiety linked to only one of the nicotinamide moieties. The nucleator of formula (I) may be in combination with a nucleator of formula (II) which comprises a dimeric molecule comprising two monomers linked by a linking group, each monomer of which (a) may be the same or different and (b) comprises a hydrazide moiety and a nicotinamide moiety. The photographic material provides unexpectedly good nucleation in the absence of, or with reduced amounts of, booster and in a developer whose pH is variable, and further with lower chemical spread and pepper fog.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Judith A. Bogie, Philip J. Coldrick, John D. Goddard, Llewellyn J. Leyshon
  • Patent number: 6245255
    Abstract: A dispersion comprises a solvent having dispersed therein a liquid-crystal forming dye of structural Formula I, II or III: wherein the substituent are as defined in the specification. The dispersion is particularly useful in imaging and photographic elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Margaret J. Helber, William J. Harrison, Kevin W. Williams, Steven W. Kortum
  • Patent number: 6242170
    Abstract: This invention provides a multicolor photographic element comprising a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler, a magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler, a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler, wherein at least one of said emulsion layers comprises large tabular grains having an average equivalent circular diameter of greater than 3 &mgr;m and contains a one equivalent image dye-forming coupler and a fragmentable electron donating compound of the formula: X—Y′ or a compound which contains a moiety of the formula —X—Y′; wherein X is an electron donor moiety, Y′ is a leaving proton H
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joseph P. Pepe, Jeffrey C. Hansen, James A. Friday, Annabel A. Muenter, David T. Southby
  • Patent number: 6228566
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrahigh contrast photographic material comprising a support bearing a silver halide emulsion layer, containing a hydrazide nucleating agent in the emulsion layer or a hydrophilic colloid layer, characterized in that the nucleating agent is a dimeric molecule comprising two monomers linked by a linking group, each monomer of which (a) may be the same or different and (b) comprises an acylhydrazide moiety and a nicotinamide moiety in combination, the material providing unexpectedly good nucleation in the absence of, or with reduced amounts of, booster and in a developer whose pH is variable, and further with lower chemical spread and pepper fog.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: John D. Goddard, Philip J. Coldrick, Rebecca Glen, Dawn J. Jenkins