JP2003287852A - Package of sheet-like photosensitive material - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a package which enables sheet-like photosensitive material to be easily taken out of the packaging material and suppresses the deterioration of quality of the sheet-like photosensitive material. <P>SOLUTION: In the package of sheet-like photosensitive material, the package material in which the sheet-like photosensitive material is loaded is hermetically sealed in a light shielding bag, the percentage of water content of the packaging material is ≤7 wt.% and the percentage of gas content in the light shielding bag is in the specified range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a package in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is sealed in a light-shielding bag. Specifically, the present invention relates to a package in which the sheet-shaped photosensitive material can be easily taken out from the packaging material and the quality deterioration of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is suppressed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sheet-shaped photosensitive material is widely used in various fields as a sheet for sensitizing and recording an image. Usually, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is loaded in a state in which a predetermined number of sheets are stacked in a packaging material such as a backing ball, and is distributed as a package in which the whole is sealed with a light-shielding film.

At this time, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is generally loaded on the bottom surface of the packaging material with the image recording surface facing downward. The sheet-shaped photosensitive material repeats minute vibrations in the packaging material due to vibrations and shocks received during transportation. For this reason,
The sheet-shaped photosensitive materials loaded in the lowermost portion and the uppermost portion are relatively greatly affected because they are in surface contact with the packaging material.
In particular, the recording surface of the lowermost sheet-shaped photosensitive material rubs against the bottom surface of the packaging material while receiving the weight of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material accumulated on it. Such friction may cause defects such as scratches in the image formed on the sheet-shaped photosensitive material, and it has been a problem to reduce such defects.

When recording an image on a sheet of photosensitive material, an image recording device is generally used. For example, when performing image recording on a photosensitive sheet-shaped photosensitive material, when the unexposed sheet-shaped photosensitive material is previously accumulated in a light-shielded accumulating section in the image recording apparatus and image recording becomes necessary. The sheet-shaped photosensitive material is carried out one by one from the accumulating section and exposed and developed.

Since it is necessary to surely set a large number of sheet-shaped photosensitive materials in the accumulating section without being exposed, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material loaded in the packaging material is usually attached to the accumulating section together with the packaging material. To do. Therefore, it is necessary for the sheet-shaped photosensitive material to be smoothly carried out from the packaging material mounted on the stacking unit, if necessary. However, among conventional products, there is a large resistance to carry out the sheet-shaped photosensitive material from the packaging material mounted in the accumulating portion, so that smooth carrying out cannot be performed. Therefore, there has been a demand for a packaging body which can always smoothly carry out the sheet-shaped photosensitive material from the packaging material when it is mounted on the stacking unit of the image recording apparatus and has high reliability during use.

[0006]

In view of these circumstances of the prior art, the present invention provides a packaging body in which the sheet-shaped photosensitive material can be easily taken out from the packaging material, and the deterioration of the quality of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material can be suppressed. Aimed to provide.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, it was found that the water content of the packaging material and the air content of the light-shielding bag should be adjusted within a specific range. Has reached the present invention.

[0008] That is, the present invention is a package in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is sealed in a light-shielding bag,
Provided is a package of a sheet-shaped photosensitive material, wherein the packaging material has a water content of 7% by mass or less and an air content of the formula 1 in a light-shielding bag is 3.2 to 460.

[0009]

[Formula 2] V L = ――――――――― × 10 ⁵ (Formula 1) n × A (In the above formula, L is the air content, and V is the amount of air in the light-shielding bag (unit: cm ³ ). , N is the number of sheet-shaped photosensitive materials loaded in the packaging material, and A is an area (unit cm ² ) per sheet-shaped photosensitive material.)

In the package of the present invention, the moisture content of the packaging material is 1 to 4% by mass, and the air content in the light-shielding bag is 65 to 330.
Is preferred. Further, the package of the present invention is preferably used for packaging a photothermographic material.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The sheet-shaped photosensitive material package of the present invention will be described in detail below. In addition, in this specification, "-" is used by the meaning including the numerical value described before and after that as a lower limit and an upper limit.

The packaging body of the present invention has a structure in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is sealed in a light-shielding bag. One of the features of the present invention is that the water content of the packaging material is 7% by mass or less. The water content referred to here is JIS-P-
The water content measured by the method specified in 8127. In the present invention, the water content of the packaging material is preferably 1 to 4% by mass.

The material of the packaging material used in the present invention is not particularly limited. Preferred is paper material. The thickness of the paper material used for the packaging material is usually 0.2 to 0.7 mm, preferably 0.4 to 0.5 mm. The water content of the paper material is usually 6 to 8.5% by mass when the base paper is manufactured.
A paper material having a water content of more than 7% by mass can be used in the present invention by adjusting it to a desired water content by drying it in a drying room. The water content can be controlled by controlling the drying temperature and the drying time.

Since the packaging material is to be loaded with the sheet-shaped photosensitive material, it is preferable that the surface of the portion which may come into contact with the sheet-shaped photosensitive material has a smooth surface. In addition, the packaging material must be able to withstand the weight of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material sufficiently and protect the sheet-shaped photosensitive material in the distribution stage and in the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, in order to enhance smoothness and / or strength,
The surface of the packaging material may be surface-treated. For example, a resin layer or the like can be coated on the surface.

The basis weight of the packaging material is usually 250 to 400 g.
/ M ² , preferably 270 to 360 g / m ² , and more preferably 300 to 340 g / m ² .

The packaging material of the present invention is not limited to the one having a structure for covering the entire sheet-shaped photosensitive material, and a case-shaped article having an opening for loading and unloading like a contact ball or a sheet-shaped photosensitive material. It may have a structure (for example, a plate shape or an L shape) that contacts a part of the. It is preferable that the structure is such that it can be easily inserted into an image forming apparatus such as an exposure device or a developing machine, and does not cause problems in distribution.

A typical structure (reliable ball) of the packaging material of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, a material used as a packaging material is punched into a shape shown in FIG. In FIG. 1A, a bottom surface 2, a connecting portion 3, and a top surface 4 are integrated, and a backing ball (packaging material) 1 can be obtained by bending a ruled line 5 inward by about 90 degrees. In the figure, 6a and 6b indicate flaps, and 7a and 7b
Indicates a notch. A laminated body 11 in which sheet-shaped photosensitive materials 10 having a predetermined size are laminated on the contact ball 1 is shown in FIG.
It is loaded as shown in (b). Bottom 2 of the backing ball 1
Has substantially the same size as that of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material 10, and the notches 7a and 7b formed on the bottom surface 2 are completely covered by the sheet-shaped photosensitive material 10 loaded on the bottom surface 2. The laminated body 11 of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is loaded in a state where the bottom surface, the two side surfaces and a part of the top surface are in contact with the contact ball 1.

The width W ₄ of the top surface 4 of the contact ball 1 is the bottom surface 2
Is preferably 50.5% or more of the width W ₂ of
It is more preferably at least 1.5%, further preferably at least 53%. The upper limit is set to such an extent that there is no problem when the sheet-shaped photosensitive material 10 is carried out. For example, when using a device that sucks the sheet-shaped photosensitive material accumulated at the time of exposure with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material sheet suction plate (hereinafter simply referred to as a suction plate) and carries it out to the exposure unit, suction by the suction plate is used. The top surface must be open enough not to interfere with the.
The upper limit of the width W ₄ of the top surface 4 of the contact ball 1 varies depending on the size of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material 10, but is preferably 70% or less of the width W ₂ of the bottom surface 2, and 60% or less. More preferable.

The package in which the laminated body of the sheet-shaped light-sensitive material is loaded is placed in a light-shielding bag, preferably a light-shielding and moisture-proof bag, and hermetically sealed. The material of the light-shielding bag is not particularly limited, but usually a film obtained by vapor deposition of aluminum, an aluminum foil, or the like is used.

The light-shielding bag can be prepared by joining opposite sides of a sheet-like film having a light-shielding property by heat sealing or the like to form a tubular shape. Then, a contact ball loaded with a laminated body of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is inserted into a cylindrical light-shielding bag, and the air is evacuated to perform the step 1 in FIG.
Seal by heat sealing at position 5.

The deaeration means is not particularly limited, but for example, an apparatus using a vacuum pump and a deaeration (suction) nozzle or a vacuum chamber type deaeration apparatus can be used.

The deaeration is carried out under the condition that the air content in the light-shielding bag after sealing is 3.2 to 460, preferably 65 to 330. The air content here is a value obtained by the above (formula 1). Air content L is the amount of air in the light-shielding bag V
(Unit: cm ³ ), the number n of sheet-shaped photosensitive materials loaded in the packaging material, and an area A (unit: cm ² ) per sheet-shaped photosensitive material. The amount V of air in the light-shielding bag can be obtained, for example, from the mass and volume of the entire package and the weight of the package in water according to the Archimedes method.

In the present invention, the amount V of air allowed to be contained in the light-shielding bag increases in proportion to the number n of sheet-shaped photosensitive materials. Further, the amount V of air allowed to be contained in the light-shielding bag increases in proportion to the area A per sheet of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material.

The relative humidity in the sealed light shielding bag is 5 to 55.
%, More preferably 10 to 40%, still more preferably 20 to 35%. The humidity in the light-shielding bag varies depending on the packaging material and the moisture content of the light-shielding bag.

The sealed light-shielding bag is then folded with both ends of the light-shielding bag facing the top surface and fixed with a label or the like. At this time, the heat seal performed when the light-shielding sheet-like film is processed into a tubular body is usually arranged in the center of the top surface. The heat-sealed portion is thicker than the other portions of the light-shielding bag, and the external pressure easily causes the package to have a specific gravity. For this reason, if the width W ₄ of the top surface of the contact ball is set to 50.5% or more of the width W ₂ of the bottom surface as described above, the specific gravity applied through the heat-sealing portion is applied to the top surface of the contact ball through the sheet-shaped photosensitive member. Since it depends on the material, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material can be protected.

The sealed light-blocking bag-containing contact balls are packed in, for example, a cosmetic box with a zipper, and further packed in a 5-box cardboard box, sealed, and then distributed.

When an image is recorded on a sheet-shaped photosensitive material,
Generally, an image recording device is used. When performing image recording using a typical image recording device, as shown in FIG.
In the cassette 14 of the image recording apparatus 13, the contact ball loaded with the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is loaded in the state of being kept in the light-shielding bag of FIG. 1B. At this time, one end of the light shielding bag is cut in advance, the cassette is closed as shown in FIG. 3 to form a light shielding state, and then the light shielding bag is pulled to take out only the light shielding bag out of the cassette.

In this way, the sheet-shaped photosensitive materials are sucked one by one from the packaging material loaded in the cassette of the image recording apparatus by the suction plate and carried out to the exposure section. The suction disk is adapted to correspond to a notch formed in the packaging material. When all of the unexposed sheet-shaped photosensitive material in the accumulating section has been carried out, it is possible to detect that all the sheet-shaped photosensitive material has been used up because air is sent from the notch to the suction plate.

The packaging material of the present invention can be used for loading a sheet-shaped photosensitive material. The sheet-shaped photosensitive material to be loaded is in the form of a sheet, and the kind thereof is not particularly limited as long as it can record an image by some recording method. The shape of the sheet is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, square, rectangular, or circular, and the thickness thereof is not limited. Examples of typical sheet-shaped light-sensitive materials include light-sensitive materials having standard sizes such as half-cut, B4, large angle, and hexa-cut.

Further, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material may be one capable of recording only on one side or may be one capable of recording on both sides. The sheet-shaped photosensitive material which can be preferably loaded in the packaging material of the present invention is a sheet-shaped photosensitive material for X-ray exposure.

From another point of view, a sheet-shaped photosensitive material which can be preferably loaded is a so-called dry type sheet-shaped photosensitive material which is developed without using a developing solution. For example, a photothermographic material can be exemplified. The dry type sheet-shaped photosensitive material is more strongly affected by the packaging material due to its characteristics. However, when the packaging material of the present invention is loaded, it is possible to sufficiently suppress the influence on the photographic properties due to packaging and subsequent transportation. Specifically, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of scratches on the sheet-shaped photosensitive material and reduce the fluctuation of fog.

Next, a photothermographic material which is a typical sheet-shaped photosensitive material that can be loaded into the packaging material of the present invention will be described. The photothermographic material has a structure containing on one surface of a support, at least one non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent for silver ions, and a binder.
The organic silver salt and the binder are contained in the image forming layer, and the image forming layer preferably further contains a reducing agent for silver ions of the organic silver salt. Further, the photothermographic material preferably has a photosensitive layer containing a photosensitive silver halide and a binder. Most preferably, the image forming layer contains a photosensitive silver halide and functions as a photosensitive layer. In such a photothermographic material, the image forming layer, particularly preferably the photosensitive image forming layer, can be subjected to water-based coating using a coating liquid in which 30% by mass of the solvent, which is environmentally preferable, is water. Yes, and at 25 ° C and 60% relative humidity, which are preferable for obtaining good photographic performance.
It is preferable to use a polymer having an equilibrium water content of 2% by mass or less as a main binder. In the following description, a photothermographic material containing a photosensitive silver halide in the image forming layer will be described as an example. The photothermographic material is preferably a monosheet type (a type capable of forming an image on the photothermographic material without using another sheet such as an image receiving material). It is particularly effective in a photothermographic material for red to infrared exposure.

The photothermographic material has a photosensitive layer containing a photosensitive silver halide (catalytically active amount of photocatalyst) and a reducing agent and a non-photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer further comprises a binder (generally a synthetic polymer), an organic silver salt (a reducible silver source).
And preferably contains a reducing agent. Further, it is preferable to contain a hydrazine compound (super-high contrast agent) and a color tone adjusting agent (control the color tone of silver). The photothermographic material may be provided with a plurality of photosensitive layers. For example, a high-sensitivity photosensitive layer and a low-sensitivity photosensitive layer can be provided in the photothermographic material for the purpose of adjusting gradation. Regarding the order of arrangement of the high-sensitivity photosensitive layer and the low-sensitivity photosensitive layer, the low-sensitivity photosensitive layer may be arranged below (support side) or the high-sensitivity photosensitive layer may be arranged below. The non-photosensitive layer may be provided as another functional layer such as a surface protective layer in addition to the dye-containing layer, that is, the filter layer or the antihalation layer.

As the support of the photothermographic material, paper, polyethylene-coated paper, polypropylene-coated paper, parchment, cloth, sheet or thin film of metal (eg, aluminum, copper, magnesium, zinc), glass, Glass and plastic films coated with metals (eg chromium alloys, steel, silver, gold, platinum) are used. Preferably, it is a transparent plastic film, and examples of plastics used for the support include polyalkyl methacrylate (eg, polymethyl methacrylate), polyester (eg, polyethylene terephthalate: PET), polyvinyl acetal, polyamide (eg, nylon) and Cellulose esters (eg, cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate) are included. The support preferably has a thickness of 90 to 190 μm, more preferably 150 to 185 μm.

The support may be coated with a polymer. Examples of polymers include polyvinylidene chloride, acrylic acid-based polymers (eg, polyacrylonitrile, methyl acrylate) polymers of unsaturated dicarboxylic acids (eg, itaconic acid, acrylic acid), carboxymethyl cellulose and polyacrylamides. Copolymers may be used. Instead of coating with a polymer, a subbing layer containing a polymer may be provided.

Examples of organic silver salts used in the photothermographic material include silver salts of fatty acids (eg, gallic acid, oxalic acid, behenic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, lauric acid) and carboxyalkylthioureas (eg, 1 -(3-
Carboxypropyl) thiourea, silver salt of 1- (3-carboxypropyl) -3,3-dimethylthiourea), polymer reaction product of aldehyde (eg formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde) and hydroxy-substituted aromatic carboxylic acid Silver complex, an aromatic carboxylic acid (for example, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 5,5-thiodisalicylic acid), a thioene compound (for example, 3- (2-carboxyethyl)- Four
-Hydroxymethyl-4-thiazolin-2-thioene,
3-carboxymethyl-4-thiazoline-2-thioene) silver salt or silver complex, nitric acid (eg imidazole, pyrazole, urazole, 1,2,4-thiazole, 1H-tetrazole, 3-amino-5-benzylthio) -1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole)
And silver complexes of saccharin, silver salts of saccharin, silver salts of 5-chlorosalicylaldoxime and silver salts of mercaptides. Most preferred is silver behenate. The organic silver salt is preferably used in a silver amount of 0.05 to 3 g / m ² , and more preferably 0.3 to ² g / m ² .

The photothermographic material contains a reducing agent for the organic silver salt. The reducing agent for the organic silver salt may be any substance (preferably organic substance) that reduces silver ions to metallic silver. Such reducing agents are disclosed in JP-A No. 11-65021, paragraphs 0043 to 0045, and European Patent Publication No. 0803.
No. 764, page 7, line 34 to page 18, page 1
It is described in two lines. Among them, particularly bisphenol reducing agents (for example, 1,1-bis (2-hydroxy-3,
5-dimethylphenyl) -3,5,5-trimethylhexane) is preferred. The amount of reducing agent added is 0.01 to 5.0.
g / m ² is preferable, and 0.1 to 3.0 g / m ²
It is more preferable that the content is 5 to 50% mol, and further preferably 10 to 40% mol per 1 mol of silver on the surface having the image forming layer. The reducing agent is preferably contained in the image forming layer.

The reducing agent may be added to the photothermographic material by being added to the coating solution by any method such as a solution form, an emulsified dispersion form and a solid fine particle dispersion form. Well-known emulsification dispersion method, dibutyl phthalate, tricresyl phosphate, oil such as glyceryl triacetate or diethyl phthalate, dissolved using an auxiliary solvent such as ethyl acetate or cyclohexanone, mechanically emulsified dispersion A method of producing the same can be given. As the solid fine particle dispersion method, a powder of a reducing agent is dispersed in a suitable solvent such as water by a ball mill, a colloid mill, a vibrating ball mill, a sand mill, a jet mill, a roller mill or ultrasonic waves to prepare a solid dispersion. There is a method. At that time, a protective colloid (eg, polyvinyl alcohol) or a surfactant (eg, anionic surfactant such as sodium triisopropylnaphthalenesulfonate (a mixture of three different isopropyl group substitution positions) or the like) may be used. Good. The water dispersion may contain a preservative (for example, benzoisothiazolinone sodium salt).

The photosensitive silver halide used in the photothermographic material is not particularly limited in halogen composition, and silver chloride, silver chlorobromide, silver bromide, silver iodobromide and silver iodochlorobromide are used. You can The distribution of the halogen composition in the grain may be uniform, the halogen composition may be changed stepwise, or the halogen composition may be continuously changed. Further, silver halide grains having a core / shell structure can be preferably used. A preferable structure is a 2- to 5-layer structure, and more preferably a 2- to 4-layer structure core / shell particles can be used. Further, a technique of localizing silver bromide on the surface of silver chloride or silver chlorobromide grains can also be preferably used. Methods of forming light sensitive silver halide are well known in the art and are described, for example, in Research Disclosure, June 1978, No. 17029.
The method described in US Pat. No. 3,700,458 can be used, but specifically, the addition of a silver-providing compound and a halogen-providing compound into a gelatin or other polymer solution. Is used to prepare a photosensitive silver halide and then mixed with an organic silver salt.

The grain size of the photosensitive silver halide is preferably small in order to suppress white turbidity after image formation, specifically 0.20 μm or less, and more preferably 0.01.
To 0.15 μm, more preferably 0.02 to 0.12 μm
m is good. The grain size as used herein means the volume of the silver halide grain when the silver halide grain is a cubic or octahedral so-called normal crystal, or when it is not a normal crystal, such as a spherical grain or a rod-shaped grain. It means the diameter when considering an equivalent sphere, and when the silver halide grains are tabular grains, it means the diameter when converted into a circular image having the same area as the projected area of the main surface.

The shape of the silver halide grains is cubic,
Examples thereof include octahedra, tabular grains, spherical grains, rod-shaped grains and potato-shaped grains, and cubic grains are particularly preferable. Grains with rounded corners of silver halide grains can also be preferably used. The surface index (Miller index) of the outer surface of the photosensitive silver halide grain is not particularly limited, but the {100} plane, which has high spectral sensitization efficiency when a spectral sensitizing dye is adsorbed, may be high. preferable. The ratio is preferably 50% or more, more preferably 65% or more, still more preferably 80% or more. The ratio of Miller index {100} plane is {1 in the adsorption of sensitizing dye.
T.Ta using the adsorption dependence of the 11} and {100} planes
ni; J.Imaging Sci., 29, 165 (1985).

The photosensitive silver halide grains contain a metal or metal complex of Group 8 to Group 10 of the Periodic Table (showing Groups 1 to 18). The metal of Group 8 to 10 of the periodic table or the central metal of the metal complex is preferably rhodium, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium or iridium. One of these metal complexes may be used, or two or more of the same metal complex and different metal complexes may be used in combination. The preferred content is 1 × 10 ⁻⁹ mol to 1 × with respect to 1 mol of silver.
The range of 10 ⁻³ mol is preferable. Regarding these metal complexes, JP-A No. 11-65021, paragraph No. 0018
~ 0024.

Among them, it is preferable to include an iridium compound in the silver halide grains. Examples of the iridium compound include hexachloroiridium, hexaammineiridium, trioxalatoiridium, hexacyanoiridium, pentachloronitrosyliridium, and the like. These iridium compounds are used by dissolving them in water or a suitable solvent, and are generally used for stabilizing the solution of the iridium compound, that is, a hydrogen halide aqueous solution (for example, hydrochloric acid,
A method of adding bromic acid, hydrofluoric acid, etc.) or an alkali halide (eg, KCl, NaCl, KBr, NaBr, etc.) can be used. Instead of using water-soluble iridium, it is also possible to add and dissolve another silver halide grain which has been previously doped with iridium when preparing the silver halide. The addition amount of these iridium compounds is 1 × 10 ⁻⁸ mol to 1 mol of silver halide.
A range of 1 × 10 ⁻³ mol is preferable, and 1 × 10 ⁻⁷ mol
The range of up to 5 × 10 ⁻⁴ mol is more preferable.

Metal atoms (for example, [Fe) which can be contained in the silver halide grains used in the photothermographic material.
(CN) ₆ ] ^4- ), desalting method, and chemical sensitization method, paragraph Nos. 0046 to 005 of JP-A No. 11-84574.
0, JP-A-11-65021, paragraph number 0025 to
0031. The photosensitive silver halide emulsion in the photothermographic material may be of one kind or two or more kinds (for example, different average grain sizes, different halogen compositions, different crystal habits, chemical sensitization conditions). Different ones) may be used together. Gradation can be adjusted by using a plurality of photosensitive silver halides having different sensitivities. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-1193
No. 41, No. 53-106125, No. 47-3.
929 publication, 48-55730 publication, 46-5.
No. 187, No. 50-73627, No. 57-1.
No. 50841 is cited. Regarding the difference in sensitivity, it is preferable that each emulsion has a difference of 0.2 log E or more.

The addition amount of the photosensitive silver halide is 0.03 to 0.03, which is the coating amount of silver per 1 m ^{2 of the} photothermographic material.
It is preferably 0.6 g / m ² , and 0.05 to 0.
It is more preferably 4 g / m ² , and 0.1 to 0.
Most preferably 4 g / m ² , organic silver salt 1 mo
0.01 to 0.5 m of photosensitive silver halide for 1
is preferable, 0.02-0.3 mol is more preferable, and 0.03-0.25 mol is particularly preferable. Regarding the mixing method and the mixing conditions of the separately prepared photosensitive silver halide and organic silver salt, the prepared silver halide grains and organic silver salt are mixed with a high-speed stirrer, a ball mill, a sand mill, a colloid mill, a vibration mill, a homogenizer. And the like, or a method of mixing the photosensitive silver halide prepared at any timing during the preparation of the organic silver salt to prepare the organic silver salt, but there is no particular limitation.

The silver halide is preferably added to the coating solution for the image forming layer 180 minutes before coating, preferably 60 minutes before 10 seconds before coating, but it is not particularly limited. Specific mixing methods include a method of mixing in a tank in which the average residence time calculated from the addition flow rate and the amount of liquid fed to the coater is set to a desired time, N. Harnby, MFEdwa
rds, AW Nienow, translated by Koji Takahashi, "Liquid Mixing Technology" (published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, 1989), Chapter 8 and the like.

When the organic silver salt-containing layer is formed by coating with a coating solution in which 30% by mass or more of the solvent is water and drying, the binder of the organic silver salt-containing layer is further added with an aqueous solvent (water. It is preferable that the polymer latex is soluble or dispersible in a (solvent), and particularly comprises a polymer latex having an equilibrium water content of 2% by mass or less at 25 ° C. and 60% relative humidity. The most preferable form is prepared so that the ionic conductivity is 2.5 mS / cm or less, and such a preparation method includes a method of purifying using a separation functional membrane after polymer synthesis. The aqueous solvent in which the polymer is soluble or dispersible as used herein is water or a mixture of water and 70% by mass or less of a water-miscible organic solvent. Examples of the water-miscible organic solvent include alcohols such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol and propyl alcohol, cellosolves such as methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve and butyl cellosolve, ethyl acetate and dimethylformamide. It should be noted that the term “aqueous solvent” is used here even in the case of a system in which the polymer is not thermodynamically dissolved and exists in a so-called dispersed state.

"Equilibrium water content at 25 ° C. and 60% relative humidity" means the mass W1 of the polymer in humidity controlled equilibrium under the atmosphere of 25 ° C. and 60% relative humidity, and the polymer in an absolutely dry state at 25 ° C. It can be expressed as follows using the mass W0 of

[Equation 3] For the definition and measurement method of water content, for example, Polymer Engineering Course 14, Polymer Material Testing Method (Polymer Society of Japan, Jijijinkan)
Can be used as a reference. 25 of binder polymer
The equilibrium water content at a temperature of 60 ° C. and a relative humidity of 60% is preferably 2% by mass or less, more preferably 0.01 to
The amount is preferably 1.5% by mass, more preferably 0.02 to 1% by mass.

Particularly preferred is a polymer dispersible in an aqueous solvent. Examples of the dispersed state include a latex in which fine particles of a solid polymer are dispersed, a state in which polymer molecules are dispersed in a molecular state or in the form of micelles, and both are preferable. In a preferred embodiment, acrylic resin, polyester resin, rubber resin (for example, SB
Hydrophobic polymers such as R resin), polyurethane resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinylidene chloride resin, and polyolefin resin can be preferably used. The polymer may be a linear polymer, a branched polymer or a crosslinked polymer. The polymer may be a so-called homopolymer in which a single monomer is polymerized, or a copolymer in which two or more kinds of monomers are polymerized. In the case of a copolymer, even a random copolymer,
It may be a block copolymer. The number average molecular weight of the polymer is 5,000 to 1,000,000, preferably 10
000-200000 is preferable. If the molecular weight is too small, the mechanical strength of the emulsion layer is insufficient, and if it is too large, the film formability is poor and it is not preferred.

The "aqueous solvent" means 30% by mass of the composition.
The above is a dispersion medium containing water. As the dispersion state, those which are emulsified and dispersed, those which are micelle dispersed, those in which a polymer having a hydrophilic site in the molecule is dispersed in the molecular state, and the like.
Any may be used, but latex is particularly preferred among these. The following may be mentioned as specific examples of the preferred polymer latex. In the following, the raw material monomers are used, and the numerical values in parentheses are mass% and the molecular weights are number average molecular weights. P-1; -MMA (70) -EA (27) -MAA (3)
-Latex (Mw 37,000) P-2; -MMA (70) -2EHA (20) -St
Latex of (5) -AA (5)-(Mw 40000) P-3; -St (50) -Bu
Latex of (47) -MAA (3)-(molecular weight 45000) P-4; -St (68) -B
u (29) -AA (3)-latex (Mw 60000) P-5; -St (70) -B
u (27) -IA (3)-latex (Mw 120000) P-6; -St (75)-
Bu (24) -AA (1) -latex (Mw 108000) P-7; -St (60)
-Bu (35) -DVB (3) -MAA (2) -latex (Molecular weight 150000) P-
8; -St (70) -Bu (25) -DVB (2) -AA (3) -latex (molecular weight 2
80000) P-9; -VC (50) -MMA (20) -EA (20) -AN (5) -AA (5) -latex (Molecular weight 80000) P-10; -VDC (85) -MMA ( 5) -EA (5) -MA
Latex of A (5)-(molecular weight 67000) P-11; -Et (90) -MAA (10)
-Latex (Mw 12000) P-12; -St (70) -2EHA (27) -AA
Latex of (3) (Molecular weight 130000) P-13; -MMA (63) -EA (3
5)-Latex of AA (2) (molecular weight 33000) The abbreviations for the above structures represent the following monomers. MMA; methyl methacrylate, EA; ethyl acrylate, MAA; methacrylic acid, 2EHA; 2 ethylhexyl acrylate, St;
Styrene, Bu; Butadiene, AA; Acrylic acid, DV
B: divinylbenzene, VC: vinyl chloride, AN: acrylonitrile, VDC: vinylidene chloride, Et: ethylene, IA: itaconic acid.

The polymer latexes described above are commercially available, and the following polymers can be used. Examples of acrylic resins include Sebian A-4635,46
583, 4601 (all manufactured by Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.),
Nipol Lx811, 814, 821, 820, 8
Examples of polyester resins such as 57 (all manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.) include FINETEX ES650 and 61.
1,675,850 (above Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.)
), WD-size, WMS (all manufactured by Eastman Chemical Co., Ltd.), and HYD as an example of the polyurethane resin.
Examples of the rubber resin such as RAN AP10, 20, 30, 40 (all manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.) include LA.
CSTAR 7310K, 3307B, 4700H, 7
132C (all manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.), Nipo
Examples of vinyl chloride resins such as Lx416, 410, 438C, and 2507 (all manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.) are G351, G576 (all manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.), and vinylidene chloride resin is L502. , L5
Examples of the olefin resin such as 13 (all manufactured by Asahi Kasei Co., Ltd.) include Chemipearl S120 and SA100 (all manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Co., Ltd.). These polymer latexes may be used alone, or may be used by blending two or more kinds as required.

As the polymer latex, a latex of styrene-butadiene copolymer is particularly preferable. The mass ratio of the styrene monomer unit and the butadiene monomer unit in the styrene-butadiene copolymer is 40:
It is preferably 60 to 95: 5. The proportion of the styrene monomer unit and the butadiene monomer unit in the copolymer is preferably 60 to 99% by mass. The preferred molecular weight range is the same as above. Preferable styrene-butadiene copolymer latexes are the above-mentioned P-3 to P-8 and commercially available LACSTA.
R-3307B, 7132C, Nipol Lx416
Etc.

If necessary, a hydrophilic polymer such as gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose may be added to the organic silver salt-containing layer of the photothermographic material. The addition amount of these hydrophilic polymers is preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 20% by mass or less based on the total amount of binders in the organic silver salt-containing layer. The organic silver salt-containing layer (that is, the image forming layer) is preferably formed using a polymer latex. The amount of the binder in the organic silver salt-containing layer is preferably such that the total binder / organic silver salt mass ratio is 1/10 to 10/1, more preferably 1/5 to 4/1. Further, such an organic silver salt-containing layer is usually
It is also a photosensitive layer (emulsion layer) containing a photosensitive silver halide which is a photosensitive silver salt, and in such a case, the total binder / silver halide mass ratio is 400 to 5, more preferably 200 to A range of 10 is preferred. The total amount of binder in the image forming layer of the photothermographic material is 0.2 to 30 g / m ² ,
The range of 1 to 15 g / m ² is more preferable. A cross-linking agent for cross-linking, a surfactant for improving coatability, and the like may be added to the image forming layer.

The solvent of the coating solution for the organic silver salt-containing layer of the photothermographic material (here, for simplicity, the solvent and the dispersion medium are collectively referred to as solvent) is an aqueous solvent containing 30% by mass or more of water.
As a component other than water, any water-miscible organic solvent such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, dimethylformamide or ethyl acetate may be used. The water content of the solvent of the coating liquid is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 70% by mass or more. To give an example of a preferable solvent composition,
Other than water, water / methyl alcohol = 90/10, water / methyl alcohol = 70/30, water / methyl alcohol / dimethylformamide = 80/15/5, water / methyl alcohol / ethyl cellosolve = 85/10/5, Water / methyl alcohol / isopropyl alcohol = 85/10 /
There are 5 etc. (numerical value is% by mass).

The sensitizing dye applicable to the photothermographic material is capable of spectrally sensitizing the silver halide grains in a desired wavelength region when adsorbed on the silver halide grains, and has a spectrum suitable for the spectral characteristics of the exposure light source. Sensitizing sensitizing dyes can be advantageously selected. Regarding the sensitizing dye and addition method,
Paragraph Nos. 0103 to 0 of JP-A No. 11-65021
109, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-186572.
Compounds represented by I), European Patent Publication No. 0803764
See page 19, line 38 to page 20, line 35 of the publication. In the present invention, the sensitizing dye is added to the silver halide emulsion preferably after the desalting step and before coating, more preferably after the desalting step and before the start of chemical ripening.

Antifoggants, stabilizers and stabilizer precursors which can be used in the photothermographic material.
Paragraph No. 0070 of 899 Publication, European Patent Publication No. 08
The patents described on page 20, line 57 to page 21, line 7 of Japanese Patent No. 03764 can be mentioned. Further, the antifoggants preferably used in the photothermographic material are organic halides, which are disclosed in JP-A-11-6.
Those disclosed in the patents described in paragraph Nos. 0111 to 0112 of Japanese Patent No. 5021 are cited. In particular, JP-A-1
Organic polyhalogen compounds represented by the general formula (II) of 0-339934 (specifically, tribromomethylnaphthyl sulfone, tribromomethylphenyl sulfone,
Tribromomethyl (4- (2,4,6-trimethylphenylsulfonyl) phenyl) sulfone and the like is preferable.

Examples of the method for incorporating the antifoggant into the photothermographic material include the methods described in the method for incorporating the reducing agent, and the organic polyhalogen compound is also preferably added as a solid fine particle dispersion. Other antifoggants include mercury (II) salts described in paragraph No. 0113 of JP-A No. 11-65021 and paragraph No. 0114 of the same publication.
Benzoic acids of. An azolium salt may be used in the photothermographic material for the purpose of preventing fog. As the azolium salt, compounds represented by formula (XI) described in JP-A-59-193447, JP-B-55-1
No. 2581, JP-A-60-15303
Examples thereof include compounds represented by the general formula (II) described in JP-B-9. The azolium salt may be added to any part of the photothermographic material, but as an addition layer, it is preferably added to the layer having the photosensitive layer, and more preferably to the organic silver salt-containing layer. The azolium salt may be added at any step in the preparation of the coating solution, and when it is added to the organic silver salt-containing layer, it may be at any step from the preparation of the organic silver salt to the preparation of the coating solution, but after the preparation of the organic silver salt. Therefore, immediately before coating is preferable. The azolium salt may be added by any method such as powder, solution and fine particle dispersion. Also, it may be added as a solution mixed with other additives such as a sensitizing dye, a reducing agent, and a toning agent. The amount of the azolium salt added may be any amount, but is preferably 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ mol to 2 mol per 1 mol of silver, and 1 × 10 ⁻³ m
It is more preferably ol to 0.5 mol.

A mercapto compound, a disulfide compound, and a thione compound can be contained in order to suppress or accelerate the development and control the development, to improve the spectral sensitization efficiency, and to improve the storage stability before and after the development.
Paragraph numbers 0067 to 0 of JP-A-10-62899
069, compounds represented by the general formula (I) in JP-A-10-186572, and paragraphs 0033 to 0052 as specific examples thereof, European Patent Publication EP0803764.
It is described on page 20, lines 36 to 56 of the A publication. Of these, mercapto-substituted heteroaromatic compounds are preferable.

It is preferable to add a toning agent to the photothermographic material. Regarding the color toning agent, JP-A-10-6289
Paragraph Nos. 0054-0055 of Japanese Patent Publication No. 9 and European Patent Publication No. EP0803764A, page 21, pages 23-4.
8th line, particularly phthalazinone, a phthalazinone derivative or a metal salt, or 4- (1-naphthyl) phthalazinone, 6-chlorophthalazinone, 5,7-
Dimethoxyphthalazinone and 2,3-dihydro-1,
Derivatives such as 4-phthalazinedione; Combinations of phthalazinone and phthalic acid derivatives (eg, phthalic acid, 4-methylphthalic acid, 4-nitrophthalic acid and tetrachlorophthalic anhydride); Phthalazines (phthalazine, phthalazine derivatives or metals) Salt, or 4- (1-naphthyl) phthalazine, 6-isopropylphthalazine, 6-t
-Butylflatadine, 6-chlorophthalazine, 5,7-
Derivatives such as dimethoxyphthalazine and 2,3-dihydrophthalazine); a combination of phthalazines and a phthalic acid derivative (eg, phthalic acid, 4-methylphthalic acid, 4-nitrophthalic acid and tetrachlorophthalic anhydride) is preferable. Particularly, a combination of phthalazines and phthalic acid derivatives is preferable.

Regarding the plasticizer and lubricant which can be used in the photosensitive layer of the photothermographic material, JP-A-11-65 is known.
No. 021 Publication, paragraph 0117, for super-high contrast agents for forming super-high contrast images, paragraph No. 0118,
The general formula (II) described in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-91652.
Compounds I) to (V) (specific compounds: chemical formula 21 to chemical formula 2)
4), as to the contrast enhancing agent, JP-A-11-65021.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 0102.

The photothermographic material may be provided with a surface protective layer for the purpose of preventing adhesion of the image forming layer. The surface protective layer is described in paragraph Nos. 0119 to 0120 of JP-A No. 11-65021. Gelatin is preferred as the binder for the surface protective layer, but it is also preferred to use polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). As PVA, a completely saponified PVA-105 [polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) content rate 94.0 mass% or more, saponification degree 98.5 ± 0.5 mol%, sodium acetate content rate 1.
5 mass% or less, volatile matter 5.0 mass% or less, viscosity (4 mass%, 20 ° C.) 5.6 ± 0.4 mPa · s], partially saponified PVA-205 [PVA content rate 94.0 mass% , Saponification degree 88.0 ± 1.5 mol%, sodium acetate content 1.0% by mass, volatile content 5.0% by mass, viscosity (4% by mass, 20 ° C.) 5.0 ± 0.4 mPa · s], Modified polyvinyl alcohol MP-102, MP-202, MP-
203, R-1130, R-2105 (above, trade name of Kuraray Co., Ltd.) and the like. The coating amount of polyvinyl alcohol (per 1 m ^{2 of the} support) of the protective layer (per 1 layer) is preferably 0.3 to 4.0 g / m ² ,
0.3 to 2.0 g / m ² is more preferable.

The preparation temperature of the coating liquid for the image forming layer is 30 to 65.
C is good, more preferable temperature is 35 ° C or higher and lower than 60 ° C, and more preferable temperature is 35 to 55 ° C. The temperature of the coating liquid for the image forming layer immediately after the addition of the polymer latex is preferably maintained at 30 to 65 ° C. Further, it is preferable that the reducing agent and the organic silver salt are mixed before the addition of the polymer latex. The organic silver salt-containing fluid or the thermal image forming layer coating solution is preferably a so-called thixotropic fluid. The thixotropic property means a property that the viscosity decreases as the shear rate increases. Although any device may be used for the viscosity measurement, an RFS fluid spectrometer manufactured by Rheometrics Far East Co., Ltd. is preferably used and the viscosity is measured at 25 ° C. Here, the organic silver salt-containing fluid or the thermal image forming layer coating solution has a shear rate of 0.1 S.
The viscosity at ^-1 is preferably 400 to 100,000 mPa · s, and more preferably 500 to 20,000 mP.
a · s. Further, at a shear rate of 1000 S ^−1, it is preferably ¹ to 200 mPa · s, and more preferably 5
˜80 mPa · s.

Various systems exhibiting thixotropy are known and edited by Kobunshi Kogakukai “Lecture / Rheology”, Muroi,
Morino co-authored in "Polymer Latex" (published by Polymer Publishing Association). It is necessary that the fluid contains a large amount of solid fine particles in order to exhibit thixotropic properties.
Further, in order to enhance thixotropy, it is effective to add a thickening linear polymer, to increase the aspect ratio in the anisotropic solid particles contained therein, to increase the alkali viscosity, and to use a surfactant.

The heat-developable photographic emulsion is composed of one or more layers on a support. The one-layer construction must contain organic silver salts, silver halides, developers and binders, and optionally additional materials such as toning agents, coating aids and other auxiliaries. The two-layer construction comprises an organic silver salt and a silver halide in the first emulsion layer (usually the layer adjacent to the support) and some other ingredients in the second layer or both layers. I won't. However, a bilayer construction comprising a single emulsion layer containing all components and a protective topcoat is also contemplated. The composition of the multicolor photosensitive photothermographic material may include a combination of these two layers for each color,
It may also include all components in a single layer as described in US Pat. No. 4,708,928. In the case of multi-dye multicolor light-sensitive photothermographic materials, each emulsion layer generally contains a functional or non-functional layer between each light-sensitive layer as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,681. The use of functional barrier layers keeps them distinct from each other.

Various dyes and pigments can be used in the photosensitive layer from the viewpoints of improving the color tone, preventing interference fringes during laser exposure, and preventing irradiation. These are described in detail in International Publication WO98 / 36322. Preferred dyes and pigments used in the photosensitive layer are anthraquinone dyes, azomethine dyes, indoaniline dyes, azo dyes, anthraquinone-based indanthrone pigments (such as CI Pigment Blue 60), phthalocyanine pigments.
(Copper phthalocyanine such as CI Pigment Blue 15, CI Pi
gment Blue 16 and other metal-free phthalocyanines), dyed lake pigment-based triarylcarbonyl pigments, indigo, inorganic pigments (ultra-blue, cobalt blue, etc.). As a method for adding these dyes and pigments, any method such as solution, emulsion, solid fine particle dispersion, and a state of being mordanted with a polymer mordant may be used. The amount of these compounds used is determined depending on the desired absorption amount, but it is generally preferable to use in the range of 1 μg to 1 g per 1 m ^{2 of the} photothermographic material.

The antihalation layer can be provided on the side farther from the light source than the photosensitive layer. The antihalation layer is described in paragraph Nos. 0123 to 0124 of JP-A No. 11-65021. It is preferable to add a decolorizing dye and a base precursor to the non-photosensitive layer of the photothermographic material so that the non-photosensitive layer functions as a filter layer or an antihalation layer. Photothermographic materials generally have a non-photosensitive layer in addition to the photosensitive layer.
The non-photosensitive layer is (1) a protective layer provided on the photosensitive layer (the side farther than the support) from the arrangement, (2) between a plurality of photosensitive layers or between the photosensitive layer and the protective layer. Can be classified into an intermediate layer provided in (3), (3) an undercoat layer provided between the photosensitive layer and the support, and (4) a back layer provided on the opposite side of the photosensitive layer. The filter layer is provided on the photothermographic material as the layer (1) or (2). The antihalation layer is provided on the photothermographic material as the layer (3) or (4).

The decolorizing dye and the base precursor are preferably added to the same non-photosensitive layer. However, it may be separately added to two adjacent non-photosensitive layers. Also, a barrier layer may be provided between the two non-photosensitive layers. As a method of adding the decolorizable dye to the non-photosensitive layer, a method of adding a solution, an emulsion, a solid fine particle dispersion or a polymer-impregnated material to a coating liquid for the non-photosensitive layer can be adopted. Further, a dye may be added to the non-photosensitive layer by using a polymer mordant. The method of adding these is the same as the method of adding a dye to a general photothermographic material. Latex used for polymer impregnation is described in US Pat. No. 4,199,363.
Specification, West German Patent Publication Nos. 25141274, 2541230, and European Patent Publication EP0291.
No. 04A and Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-41091. Regarding the emulsification method of adding a dye to a solution in which a polymer is dissolved, International Publication WO88 / 007
No. 23 publication.

The addition amount of the decolorizing dye is determined depending on the use of the dye. Generally, it is used in such an amount that the optical density (absorbance) measured at a target wavelength exceeds 0.1. The optical density is preferably 0.2 to 2. The amount of dye used to obtain such an optical density is generally 0.00
It is about 1 to 1 g / m ² , and particularly preferably 0.01
It is about 0.2 g / m ² . By decoloring the dye in this way, the optical density can be lowered to 0.1 or less. Two or more kinds of decolorizable dyes may be used together in the thermally decolorizable recording material or the photothermographic material. Similarly, two or more kinds of base precursors may be used in combination. The photothermographic material is preferably a so-called single-sided photosensitive material having a photosensitive layer containing at least one layer of a silver halide emulsion on one side of a support and a back layer on the other side.

It is preferable to add a matting agent to the photothermographic material in order to improve transportability. As for the matting agent, paragraph Nos. 0126 to 0126 of JP-A No. 11-65021 can be used.
0127. The matting agent is preferably 1 to 4 when the coating amount per 1 m ^{2 of the} photothermographic material is shown.
The amount is 00 mg / m ² , more preferably 5 to 300 mg / m ² . The matteness of the emulsion surface may be any value as long as the stardust failure does not occur, but the Beck smoothness is 30 seconds or more 20
00 seconds or less is preferable, and 40 seconds or more and 1500 seconds or less is particularly preferable. As the matte degree of the back layer, Beck's smoothness is preferably 1200 seconds or less and 10 seconds or more, 800 seconds or less and 20 seconds or more, and more preferably 500 seconds or less and 40 seconds or more. The matting agent is preferably contained in the outermost surface layer of the photothermographic material, a layer functioning as the outermost surface layer, or a layer close to the outer surface, and may be contained in a layer acting as a so-called protective layer. preferable.
Regarding the back layer applicable to the photothermographic material, paragraph Nos. 0128 to JP-A No. 11-65021 are disclosed.
0130.

A hardener may be used in each layer such as the photosensitive layer, the protective layer and the back layer. TH James as an example of a hardener
By "THE THEORY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS FOURTH E
DITION "(published by Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1977). Each method is described on pages 77 to 87.
Polyvalent metal ions described in pages, US Pat. No. 4,281,
No. 060, JP-A-6-208193, and other polyisocyanates, US Pat. No. 4,791,042.
Epoxy compounds such as those disclosed in JP-A-62-890
Vinyl sulfone compounds such as JP-A No. 48 are preferably used.

The hardener is added as a solution, and this solution is added to the protective layer coating solution from 180 minutes before to just before coating, preferably from 60 minutes before 10 seconds before coating. There are no particular restrictions on the mixing conditions. As a specific mixing method, a method of mixing in a tank in which the average residence time calculated from the addition flow rate and the amount sent to the coater is a desired time, N. Harnby, MF Edwards, AWN
There is a method of using the static mixer described in Chapter 8 of “Liquid Mixing Technology” translated by Koji Takahashi (published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, 1989) by ienow.

For the surfactant, see JP-A-11-65.
No. 021 publication, paragraph number 0132, a solvent, the same publication paragraph number 0133, a support, the same publication paragraph number 0134, an antistatic or conductive layer, the same publication paragraph number 0135, and a method for obtaining a color image, the same. Japanese Patent Publication No. 0136. The transparent support may be colored with a blue dye (for example, Dye-1 described in Examples of JP-A-8-240877) or may be uncolored. Regarding the undercoating technique of the support, JP-A-11-
No. 84574, No. 10-186565, and the like. Further, the antistatic layer or the undercoat is disclosed in JP-A-56-143430 and JP-A-56-1434.
31 gazette, the same 58-62646 gazette, the same 56-12.
It is also possible to apply the technology of Japanese Patent No. 0519.

The photothermographic material is preferably a monosheet type (a type capable of forming an image on the photothermographic material without using another sheet such as an image receiving material). The photothermographic material may further contain an antioxidant, a stabilizer, a plasticizer, an ultraviolet absorber or a coating aid.
Various additives are added to either the photosensitive layer or the non-photosensitive layer. International publication WO98 / 36
322, European Patent Publication EP803764A, JP-A-10-186567 and 10-185.
Reference can be made to Japanese Patent No. 68, etc.

The photosensitive layer preferably further contains a super-high contrast agent, which may be further contained in the non-photosensitive layer. When the photothermographic material is used in the field of printing photographs, it is important to reproduce continuous tone images and line images by halftone dots. By using a super-high contrast agent, the reproducibility of halftone images and line images can be improved. As the ultra-high contrast agent, hydrazine compounds, quaternary ammonium compounds or acrylonitrile compounds (US Pat. No. 5,545,5
No. 15 description) is used. Hydrazine compounds are particularly preferred ultrahigh contrast agents.

The hydrazine compound is hydrazine (H ₂ N
—NH ₂ ) and compounds in which at least one of its hydrogen atoms has been replaced. The substituent is an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group directly bonded to the nitrogen atom of hydrazine, or an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group bonded to the nitrogen atom of hydrazine via a linking group. . Examples of linking groups include -CO
-, - CS -, - SO 2 -, - POR- (R is an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or a heterocyclic group), - CNH- and combinations thereof. For hydrazine compounds, see US Pat. Nos. 5,464,738 and 5,49.
6,695, 5,512,411, 5,5
Nos. 36,622, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-77138,
6-93082, JP-A-6-230497, 6
-289520, 6-313951, 7-56.
No. 10, No. 7-77783, and No. 7-104426.

The hydrazine compound can be dissolved in a suitable organic solvent and added to the coating solution for the photosensitive layer. Examples of organic solvents include alcohols (eg methanol, ethanol, propanol, fluorinated alcohols), ketones (eg acetone, methyl ethyl ketone), dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide and methylcellosolve. Also, hydrazine compounds are oily (auxiliary)
A solution dissolved in a solvent may be emulsified in the coating liquid. Examples of oily (auxiliary) solvents include dibutyl phthalate, tricresyl phosphate, glyceryl triacetate, diethyl phthalate, ethyl acetate and cyclohexanone. Further, a solid dispersion of the hydrazine compound may be added to the coating solution. The dispersion of the hydrazine compound is
It can be carried out using a known disperser such as a ball mill, colloid mill, manton goring, microfluidizer or ultrasonic disperser.

The amount of super-high contrast agent added is 1 m of silver halide.
It is preferably 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ to 1 × 10 ⁻² mol with respect to ol, and 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 5 × 10 ⁻³ mol
And more preferably 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ to 5 × 1
Most preferably, it is 0 ^-3 mol. In addition to the ultra-high contrast agent, a high-contrast accelerator may be used. Examples of the contrast enhancing agent include amine compounds (described in US Pat. No. 5,545,505) and hydroxamic acid (US Pat. No. 5,54).
5, 507), acrylonitriles (described in US Pat. No. 5,545,507) and hydrazine compounds (described in US Pat. No. 5,558,983).

The photothermographic material may be applied by any method. Specifically, various coatings including extrusion coating, slide coating, curtain coating, dip coating, knife coating, flow coating, or extrusion coating using a hopper of the type described in US Pat. No. 2,681,294. A coating operation was used, Stephen F. Kistl
er, Petert M. Schweizer "LIQUID FILM COATING" (CHA
PMAN & HALL, 1997) Extrusion coating described in pages 399 to 536 or slide coating is preferably used, and slide coating is particularly preferably used. For an example of the shape of the slide coater used for slide coating, refer to F on page 427 of the same book.
igure 11b. In 1. Also, if desired, the method described on pages 399 to 536 of the same document, US Pat.
Two or more layers can be coated simultaneously by the methods described in 1,791 and GB 837,095.

Techniques that can be used for the photothermographic material include European Patent Publication Nos. 80376 and 88.
3022, International Publication WO98 / 36322, JP-A-56-62648, and JP-A-58-6264.
No. 4, JP-A-9-281637 and JP-A-9-29736.
7, gazette 9-304869 gazette, and 9-3114 gazette.
No. 05, No. 9-329865, No. 10-10.
No. 669, No. 10-62899, No. 10-6.
9023, 10-186568, and 10
-90823, 10-171063, 10-186565, 10-186567, 10-186569 to 10-18657.
No. 2, gazette 10-197974, gazette 10-19.
No. 7982, No. 10-197983, No. 10
-197985 gazette-the same 10-197987 gazette,
No. 10-207001, No. 10-207004, No. 10-221807, No. 10-2826.
No. 01, No. 10-288823, No. 10-2
88824, 10-307365, 1
No. 0-312038, No. 10-339934, No. 11-7100, No. 11-15105, No. 11-24200, No. 11-24201, No. 11-30832, No. 11 -84574
No. 11-65021 and No. 11-1258.
No. 80, No. 11-129629, No. 11-1.
No. 33536 to No. 11-133539, No. 1
No. 1-133542 and No. 11-133543 are also cited.

The photothermographic material may be developed by any method, but it is usually developed by raising the temperature of the imagewise exposed photothermographic material. The preferred developing temperature is 80 to 250 ° C., more preferably 100 to 14
It is 0 ° C. The developing time is preferably 1 to 180 seconds, more preferably 10 to 90 seconds, and particularly preferably 10 to 40 seconds. A plate heater method is preferable as the heat development method. The heat development method using a plate heater method is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-229684 and JP-A No. 11-1.
The method described in Japanese Patent No. 33572 is preferable, which is a heat developing apparatus for obtaining a visible image by bringing a photothermographic material having a latent image into contact with a heating means in a heat developing section, wherein the heating means is a plate heater. A plurality of pressing rollers are arranged opposite to each other along one surface of the plate heater, and the photothermographic material is passed between the pressing roller and the plate heater to perform thermal development. Is a heat developing device. It is preferable to divide the plate heater into 2 to 6 stages and lower the temperature of the tip portion by about 1 to 10 ° C. Such a method is disclosed in JP-A-54-3003.
No. 2 publication, it is possible to exclude water and organic solvent contained in the photothermographic material from the outside of the system,
Further, it is possible to suppress the change in the shape of the support of the photothermographic material due to the rapid heating of the photothermographic material.

The photothermographic material may be exposed by any method, but a laser beam is preferable as an exposure light source. As the laser light, gas laser (Ar ⁺ , He-Ne), YAG laser, dye laser, semiconductor laser and the like are preferable. Alternatively, a semiconductor laser and a second harmonic wave generating element may be used. Preferred is a gas of red to infrared emission or a semiconductor laser. As a laser beam, a single mode laser can be used, but JP-A-11-65021
The technique described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 0140 may be used. The laser output is preferably 1 mW or more, more preferably 10 mW or more, still more preferably 40 mW or more. At that time, a plurality of lasers may be combined. The laser beam diameter is 30-200μ at 1 / e ² spot size of Gaussian beam.
It can be about m. Fuji Medical Dry Laser Imager FM-DPL can be mentioned as a laser imager provided with an exposure part and a heat development part.

The photothermographic material forms a black and white image with a silver image and is used as a photothermographic material for medical diagnosis, a photothermographic material for industrial photography, a photothermographic material for printing, and a photothermographic material for COM. It is preferably used. In these uses, based on the formed black-and-white image, a duplicate image is formed on a duplication film MI-Dup manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. for medical diagnosis, and a Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. is used for printing. ) Film for return DO-175,
It goes without saying that it can be used as a mask for forming an image on PDO-100 or an offset printing plate.

[0083]

EXAMPLES The features of the present invention will be described more specifically below with reference to examples and comparative examples. Materials shown in the following examples,
The usage amount, ratio, processing content, processing procedure, etc. can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limitedly interpreted by the following specific examples.

<Example 1> (Preparation of contact ball) As a material for the contact ball, paper having a basis weight of 320 g / m ² (pulp blend used is NBKP: LB)
KP = 1: 1, an alkyl ketene dimer as a sizing agent, a neutral paper using cation-modified starch as a fixing agent, and a paper surface pH measured by JIS P-8133 of 7.0 ± 0.5) were prepared. This material is dried in a drying room at about 45 ° C. for a controlled time to meet JIS-P
Four kinds of materials having a water content measured by -8127 of 8.2 mass%, 7.4 mass%, 7.0 mass% and 4.0 mass% were obtained. The obtained material was punched to form a sheet having the shape shown in FIG. This sheet was bent inside by about 90 degrees at the position of each bending line 5 in FIG. 2 to produce a contact ball.

(Production of Light-Shielding Bag) A mixture having the composition shown in the following table was stretched to a thickness of 40 μm to obtain a film A.

[Table 1]

Using this film A, a light-shielding bag was obtained by laminating in the following order.

[Table 2]

(Preparation of Package) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-1091
The photothermographic material prepared by the method described in the Example of JP-A No. 12 was cut into a size of 35.4 cm × 43.0 cm. 100 sheets of the cut photothermographic material were laminated and loaded into the above-prepared backing ball as shown in FIG. 1 (a). At this time, the emulsion was loaded so that the emulsion surface faced the bottom surface of the pad. The backing ball loaded with 100 sheets of the photothermographic material was placed in the light-shielding bag prepared above and degassed, as shown in FIG.
A package was obtained by heat-sealing both ends as shown in FIG.

(Measurement of air content in light-shielding bag) The mass and volume of the obtained package were measured, and further the weight in water was measured. From these measurement results, the air volume V in the light-shielding bag was determined according to the Archimedes method. The air content L in the light-shielding bag was calculated from the above (Equation 1) and was 330.

(Measurement of Humidity in Light-Shielding Bag) The humidity in the light-shielding bag of the obtained package was measured using a temperature hygrometer (TR-72S, manufactured by I & D Corporation). The results are shown in Table 3.

(Image formation) One end of the light-shielding bag of the obtained package is cut, and as shown in FIG. 3, a cassette (magazine box) of an image forming apparatus (Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., FM-DPL) 13 is cut. ) 14 loaded. After that, the light shielding bag was taken out of the cassette by pulling out the end portion of the light shielding bag on the cut side. From the packaging material containing the photothermographic material loaded in the cassette, the photothermographic material was carried out one by one by the suction plate, and an image was formed through exposure and development.

(Evaluation of Photographic Property of Photothermographic Material) After the package was prepared, it was stored in a room at 20 ± 3 ° C. and 65 ± 5% relative humidity for one year. Then, the image formation was performed. However, it was developed without exposure. Density meter (Macbeth TD904) for density after development (fog density: Dmin)
Was measured, and the value was defined as B. In addition, the density when the development processing was similarly performed without exposure using the packaging body produced without using the contact ball was set to A. The photographic property of the photothermographic material was evaluated by the following five grades according to the value of BA. 5 B-A is ± 0.02 or less. 4 B-A is larger than ± 0.02 and is ± 0.04 or less. 3 B-A is larger than ± 0.04 and is ± 0.06 or less. 2 B-A is larger than ± 0.06 and is ± 0.08 or less. 1 B-A is larger than ± 0.10.

Table 3 collectively shows the moisture content of the packaging material of each package, the humidity in the light-shielding bag, and the results of photographic evaluation.

[0093]

[Table 3]

As is clear from Table 3, the photothermographic materials of the packages (No. 3 and No. 4) satisfying the conditions of the present invention had good photographic properties. In addition, the package satisfying the conditions of the present invention was sufficiently smooth to carry out the photothermographic material by the suction plate of the image recording apparatus.

<Example 2> (Preparation of Package) By the same method as in Example 1, a contact ball loaded with a photothermographic material was sealed in a light-shielding bag to prepare a package. However, the water content of the contact ball (JIS
-P-8127) was adjusted to be 4.0% by mass. Further, after putting the contact ball loaded with the photothermographic material in the light-shielding bag, the degassing condition is changed to change the air content in the light-shielding bag to 530, 460, 330, 65, 3.3, and 3.3.
Six types of packages adjusted to 1.3 were produced.

(Scratch Evaluation) The obtained package was subjected to vibration (vibration) treatment according to JIS Z 0232. After that, development was performed without exposure in the same manner as in Example 1, and the number of scratches was counted. The counting of scratches was performed visually, and the scratches having a size of 0.03 mm ³ or more were counted. The number of scratches of the photothermographic material loaded in the uppermost part and the lowermost part of the packaging material was counted, and the larger number was taken as the number of scratches, and evaluated in the following five stages. 5 Scratch occurrence number 0 / sheet 4 Scratch occurrence number 1 / sheet 3 Scratch occurrence number 2-3 / sheet 2 Scratch occurrence number 4-7 / sheet 1 Scratch occurrence number 8 pieces / sheet or more

(Discharge Resistance) As in Example 1, the packaging material containing the photothermographic material was loaded into the cassette (magazine box) of the image forming apparatus (FM-DPL manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.). 1 by the suction plate of the image forming device
The resistance when the photothermographic material was carried out one by one was measured.

Table 4 shows the results of the air content in the light-shielding bag of each package, evaluation of scratches, and carry-out resistance.

[0099]

[Table 4]

As is clear from Table 4, it was confirmed that the package satisfying the conditions of the present invention had few scratch marks and a small carry-out resistance.

[0101]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, a sheet-shaped photosensitive material package in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is sealed in a light-shielding bag makes it easy to remove the sheet-shaped photosensitive material from the packaging material. It is also possible to suppress deterioration of the quality of the photosensitive material. Therefore, the sheet-shaped photosensitive material package of the present invention is effectively used as a photothermographic material package.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is housed in a light-shielding bag.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a development view of a packaging material (reliable ball) used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is loaded in a cassette of an image recording apparatus while being put in a light-shielding bag.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Reliable ball (packaging material) 2 bottom 3 connection 4 Top 5 folding lines 6a, 6b flap 7a, 7b Notch 10 Sheet-shaped photosensitive material 11 Sheet-shaped photosensitive material laminate 12 light-shielding bag 13 Image recording device 14 cassettes 15 heat seal

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G03C 3/00 555 G03C 3/00 555A 560 560N 585 585C B65D 81/30 B65D 81/30 C G03C 1/498 G03C 1 / 498 F-term (reference) 2H123 AB00 AB01 AB03 AB23 AB25 BA00 BA14 BB00 BB39 CA00 CA22 CB00 CB03 3E067 AA12 AB39 AC03 AC14 BA12A BB01A BB25A BB26A CA12 CA24 EA07 EA37 EB01 EB23 EC32 ED02 FB07 FC01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A packaging body in which a packaging material loaded with a sheet-shaped photosensitive material is sealed in a light-shielding bag, wherein the packaging material has a water content of 7% by mass or less, and formula 1 in the light-shielding bag is used. Has a moisture content of 3.2 to 460. [Formula 1] V L = ――――――――― × 10 ⁵ (Formula 1) n × A (In the above formula, L is the air content, and V is the amount of air in the light-shielding bag (unit: cm ³ ). , N is the number of sheet-shaped photosensitive materials loaded in the packaging material, and A is an area (unit cm ² ) per sheet-shaped photosensitive material.) 2. The package of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material according to claim 1, wherein the packaging material has a water content of 1 to 4 mass%. 3. The package of the sheet-shaped photosensitive material according to claim 1, wherein the air content in the light-shielding bag is 65 to 330. 4. The package according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-shaped photosensitive material is a photothermographic material.