Patents by Inventor Paul Barrett Merkel

Paul Barrett Merkel 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).

  • Patent number: 6365334
    Abstract: A photographic element having a layer comprising a silver halide emulsion, a 1-aryl-4-aryloxy-2-pyrazolin-5-one magenta dye forming coupler, and a sulfide, sulfoxide or sulfone compound. Such elements exhibit good activity and stability of the magenta coupler. Preferably, the foregoing magenta dye forming coupler has the structure of Ia or Ib below, while the sulfide, sulfoxide and sulfone compounds have the structure VI, VII or VIII below: Where R1, R2, R3, n, R8 and R9 are defined in the specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Jerrold Neal Poslusny, Paul Barrett Merkel, Lawrence Glenn Anderson, Jared Ben Mooberry, David Hales Bown
  • Patent number: 5811228
    Abstract: The invention provides a multilayer color negative photographic element comprising a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer sensitive to each of the blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum, a magnetic recording layer, and a permanent density correction dye, wherein:the spectral absorbance maximum of the density correction dye is in the range of 450-485 nm;the ratio of the absorbance of the density correction dye at 480 nm relative to 420 nm is between 1.2 and 3.5;the ratio of the absorbance of the density correction dye at 440 nm relative to 420 nm is between 1.25 and 2.5;the ratio of the absorbance of the density correction dye at 510 nm relative to 480 nm is less than 0.6; andthe density correction dye is uncharged and is free of carboxyl and sulfonate groups.The element exhibits improved color balance permitting it to be satisfactorily processed together with conventional photographic elements to produce viewable color images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Paul Barrett Merkel, Melvin Michael Kestner, David Hoke
  • Patent number: 5800971
    Abstract: The invention provides a multilayer color negative photographic element comprising a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer sensitive to each of the blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum, one or more yellow or orange-yellow cyano benzoxazolyl or cyano benzothiazolyl arylidene type methine filter or density correction dyes of structure I, below, codispersed with one or more hydroquinone, catechol or sulfonamidophenol reducing agents, ##STR1## wherein: R.sub.1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.2 is an alkyl group or an aryl group;R.sub.3 is hydrogen, a halogen, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group or an aryloxy group;R.sub.4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.5 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;X is oxygen or sulfur;each R.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Paul Leo Zengerle, Paul Barrett Merkel
  • Patent number: 5789146
    Abstract: Coupler dispersions comprising an aqueous medium having dispersed therein an organic phase comprising (i) a primary photographic coupler comprising a first ballasting group containing at least 5 carbon atoms and (ii) an auxiliary photographic coupler comprising a second ballasting group, wherein the primary coupler and the auxiliary coupler are present in the dispersion at a weight ratio of from 4:1 to 99:1 and the auxiliary coupler differs from the primary coupler solely in that the second ballast group contains 2 or more additional carbon atoms and associated hydrogen atoms relative to the first ballasting group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David Darrell Miller, Paul Barrett Merkel, Raymond Peter Scaringe
  • Patent number: 5725999
    Abstract: The invention provides a multilayer color negative photographic element comprising a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide layer sensitive to each of the blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum, a magnetic recording layer and a yellow or orange-yellow methine density correction dye of structure I, ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.2 is an alkyl group or an aryl group;R.sub.3 is hydrogen, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group or an aryloxy group;R.sub.4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.5 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;X is oxygen or sulfur;each R.sub.7 is independently a substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, and alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, carbonamido, sulfonamido, carbamoyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, acyloxy, acyl, sulfamoyl, sulfonyl, sulfoxyl, alkylthio, arylthio and cyano groups;R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 or R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 may join to form a ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Paul Barrett Merkel, Melvin Michael Kestner, David Hoke, Jeffrey Walter Schmoeger
  • Patent number: 5723263
    Abstract: A multicolor negative photographic element comprises a support bearing a blue light-sensitive silver halide emulsion first layer and a green light-sensitized silver halide emulsion second layer wherein said second layer contains a dye sensitized to green light and wherein said first layer has associated therewith a hue correction coupler which upon coupling with oxidized developer produces a dye having a maximum absorbance in the range of 460 to 510 nm. so that the element has a D480/D440 density ratio which is greater than that exhibited by the element without the hue correction coupler. The invention also encompasses a blue sensitive silver halide emulsion layer associated with the hue correction coupler and a method of forming an image in the photographic element of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Stephen Paul Singer, Paul Barrett Merkel, Jeffrey Walter Schmoeger
  • Patent number: 5719014
    Abstract: The invention provides a multilayer color negative photographic film comprising a support, at least one light-sensitive silver halide layer sensitive to each of the blue, green and red regions of the visible spectrum and a yellow or orange-yellow methine dye of structure I, ##STR1## wherein: R.sub.1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.2 is an alkyl group or an aryl group;R.sub.3 is hydrogen, a halogen atom (such as chlorine or fluorine), an alkyl group, an alkoxy group or an aryloxy group;R.sub.4 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.5 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;R.sub.6 is hydrogen or an alkyl group;X is oxygen or sulfur;each R.sub.7 is independently a substituent selected from the group consisting halogen atoms, and alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, carbonamido, sulfonamido, carbamoyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, acyloxy, acyl, sulfamoyl, sulfonyl, sulfoxyl, sulfonyloxy, alkylthio, arylthio, and cyano groups;n is 0, 1, 2 or 3; andR.sub.1 and R.sub.2 or R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 may join to form a ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Paul Barrett Merkel, Melvin Michael Kestner, James Anthony Friday
  • Patent number: 4082555
    Abstract: A covering power imaging heat developable and heat stabilizable photographic material comprising in reactive assocation (a) photographic silver salt, (b) a photographic silver salt developing agent, (c) an activating concentration of a certain development activator precursor and (d) a polymeric binder, enables an image to develop and be stabilized even though the photothermographic material contains no separate post-processing image stabilizer, and also enables silver image development efficiency of at least 90% when the material is heated to a temperature within the range of about 120.degree. to 200.degree. C. An image can be developed in this heat developable and heat stabilizable photographic material by merely heating the material after imagewise exposure to moderately elevated temperatures. Other addenda employed in heat developable materials can be employed in the described heat developable photographic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1976
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1978
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Paul Barrett Merkel
  • Patent number: 4060420
    Abstract: An activator-stabilizer precursor compound having an acid portion which is an alpha-sulfonylacetate is useful in a photographic composition which is responsive to heat for processing. The activator-stabilizer precursors are characterized in that their acid byproducts have reduced toxicity and volatility and are substantially inert in a processed photographic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1976
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1977
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Paul Barrett Merkel, Hans Gway Ling