The invention provides a photothermographic material including: a support and an image-forming layer including a non-photosensitive silver salt, a photosensitive silver halide, a binder, and a reduction agent disposed on the support, wherein a silver iodide content in the photosensitive silver halide is in a range from 40 mol % to 100 mol %; and an average sphere-equivalent diameter of the photosensitive silver halide is in a range from 0.3 μm to 5.0 μm. The photothermographic material may further include a silver iodide complex forming agent as a compound which substantially reduces visible light absorption caused by the photosensitive silver halide after thermal development. At least 50%, in terms of a projected area, of the photosensitive silver halide may be occupied by tabular silver halide grains having an aspect ratio of from 2 to 50 and being deposited with a silver salt in an epitaxial growth manner.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to photothermographic materials and image-forming methods using photothermographic materials and, particularly, to a photothermographic material containing a silver halide emulsion having a high silver iodide content and an image-forming method using the photothermographic material. More specifically, the present invention relates to a photothermographic material in which sensitivity is substantially improved, fog is low, and storability of images after development is excellent, and an image-forming method using the photothermographic material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in the fields of medical diagnosis and printing plate forming from the standpoints of environmental protection and space saving, photographic development processing performed in a dry state has been strongly demanded. These fields have seen an increase in digitalization, as well as systems in which image information is fed into a computer and stored and then optionally processed, transmitted, and outputted, by a laser image setter or a laser imager, to a photosensitive material at a position required, and duly developed to form images. Photosensitive materials are now expected to have a capability of being recorded by laser exposure of high illuminance, and a capability to form clear black images having high resolution and sharpness. As for digital imaging recording materials, various types of hard copy systems using pigments and dyes, such as ink jet printers and electronic photographic systems, are available as ordinary image-forming systems. However, none of these hard copy systems is satisfactory either in terms of aspects of image quality which determine the diagnostic capacity of the images as images for medical uses, such as for example sharpness, graininess, gradation, and color tone, or in respect of the recording speed (i.e. sensitivity of the images), nor have any of these systems yet attained a level of which it can be used to replace the conventional wet-development-type silver salt film used in medical diagnosis.
On the other hand, thermally developable image forming systems utilizing organic silver salts are already known in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,904, and 3,457,075, and in D. H. Klosterboer, "Thermally Processed Silver Systems" (see Imaging Processes and Materials, Neblette, 8th Ed. compiled by J. Sturge, V. Walworth and A. Shepp, Chap. 9, page 279, 1989). The photothermographic material comprises an image-forming layer in which a photosensitive silver halide, a reduction agent, a reducible silver salt (for example, organic silver salt) and, optionally, a color toning agent for controlling the color tone of silver are ordinarily dispersed in a binder matrix.
When the photothermographic material is exposed and heated at a high temperature (for example, 80° C. or more), a monochromatic black silver image is produced by an oxidation-reduction reaction between the silver halide, or the reducible silver salt (functioning as an oxidizing agent), and the reduction agent. The oxidation-reduction reaction is accelerated by catalytic action of a latent image of the silver halide generated by such exposure. Therefore, monochromatic silver images are formed in areas of the material which have been exposed. Such photothermographic materials are disclosed in many documents (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,377 and JP-B No. 43-4924) and, further, the Fuji Medical Dry Imager FM-DP L has been commercially available for practical use as an image-forming system for medical diagnosis. However, since such image-forming systems utilizing organic silver salt have no fixing step that allows the silver halide to remain in a layer after thermal development, the systems have serious drawbacks.
One drawback has been image storability after development processing, particularly, printout degeneration caused by exposure to light. A method utilizing silver iodide is known as a means to alleviating printout degeneration. Compared with silver bromide or silver iodobromide having an iodine content of 5 mol % or less, silver iodide has a property which makes it extremely difficult for print out to be generated and in consequence silver iodide has the potential to drastically solve the problem. However, a silver iodide grain which has been known so far has a sensitivity so low that it is still a long way from being capable of being applied to a practical system. Further, an additional problem inherent in the grain has been that, when, in order to enhance sensitivity, a step has been taken to prevent a reunion of a photon and a hole, a property excellent in preventing printout has thereby been lost.
As a method of increasing sensitivity of a silver iodide photographic emulsion, it has been recorded in literature that sensitization can be achieved either by using halogen receptors such as sodium nitrite, pyrogallol, and hydroquinone, by immersion in a silver nitrate aqueous solution, or by sulfur sensitization at pAg 7.5 (see, for example, The Journal of Photographic Science, Vol. 8, p. 119, (1960), The Journal of Photographic Science, Vol. 28, p. 163, (1980), and Photographic Science and Engineering, Vol. 5, page 216 (1961). However, the sensitizing effects at these halogen receptors on photothermographic materials intended by the present invention has been minimal and conspicuously inadequate.
Another drawback is that, because of light scattering caused by residual silver halide, a layer becomes clouded and falls into a state between translucence and opacity, thus causing a deterioration in images. In order to solve this problem, a practical measure has been adopted in which photosensitive silver halide is mae into a state of fine grain (from 0.15 μm to 0.08 μm in an area actually used) and then the quantity of photosensitive silver halide added is reduced as far as possible, thus minimising cloudiness. However, a compromise measure of this kind results in a further decrease in sensitivity and has not completely solved the problem of cloudiness. Opacity has still remained in the layer and haze has remained imparted therein.
In the case of a wet developent processing system, residual silver halide is removed by performing, after the development process, a process using a fixing liquid containing a silver halide medium. As regards such silver halide media, various types of inorganic and organic compounds which can form a complex with a silver ion are known.
In the case of a dry thermal development process also, incorporation of a similar fixing measure has in the past been attempted. For example, a method has been proposed in which a compound capable of forming a complex with a silver ion is contained in a layer to allow the silver halide to be solubilized by thermal development (ordinarily known as fixing: see JP-A No. 8-76317). However, this method is a system associated with silver bromide or silver chlorobromide, and post-heating is also necessary for the fixing, requiring, as a heating condition, a temperature as high as from 155° C. to 160° C., in which it is difficult to conduct the fixing. Further, another method has been proposed in which a separate sheet (fixing sheet) containing a compound capable of forming a complex with a silver ion is prepared and, then, after the photothermographic material is thermally developed to form an image, the photothermographic material developed is superposed on the fixing sheet and heated to dissolve the remaining silver halide. Thereafter, the silver halide which has been dissolved is removed (see JP-A No. 9-166845). However, since in this method two sheets are used, the treatment process becomes complicated and it has proved difficult to secure operational stability. Further, it is necessary to dispose of the fixing sheet after use in the fixing process. Waste is thereby generated and from a point of view of practicability this becomes a barrier.
Further, as for fixing methods in thermal development other than those described above, a method has been proposed in which a fixing agent of a silver halide is first microencapsulated and then the fixing agent is released to act at the time of thermal development (JP-A No. 8-82886). However, for this method, it is difficult to arrive at a design that allows the fixing agent to be effectively released. Still another method has been proposed in which fixing is performed by using a fixing liquid after thermal development (JP-A Nos. 51-104826, and 62-133454). However, in this method a wet-type treatment needs to be performed, and thus this method is not appropriate for a completely dry process.
As described above, there have been known drawbacks to various known methods of improving opacity of the layer that there have invariably been obstacles in the way of putting them to practical use.
Further, although it is a liquid development process system, a method is known in which a silver salt be deposited in an epitaxial growth manner on a silver halide grain which acts a host. Another method is also known in which higher sensitivity is obtained by making a silver halide have a dislocation line (see, for example, JP-A Nos. 59-119344 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,469) and 59-119350 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,499), and Japanese Patent No. 2664272).
However, in a silver halide photosensitive material which it is intended to subject to a liquid development process, a silver image is generally formed by reducing silver halide by means of a developing agent (reduction agent) contained in a liquid of the liquid development process. Alternatively, a color image is formed by making use of an oxidized form of the developing agent generated as a by-product. In either case a fundamental reaction is a reduction of the silver halide by the developing agent. On the other hand, in the photothermographic material, the silver halide forms a latent image only by being exposed to light and, while a silver ion supplied from a non-photosensitive organic silver salt is reduced, the silver halide itself is not reduced by the reduction agent. In the case of the liquid development process reduction agents are ionic reduction agents such as hydroquinone, and p-phenylene diamines, while in the case of a photothermographic material reduction agents are hindered phenol derivatives, generally known as radical reaction agents.
As described above, in the photosensitive material for the liquid development process and the photothermographic material, the mechanisms of development reactions (reduction reaction) are completely different from each other, and the systems of compounds used in the respective materials are also completely different. Accordingly, it can not be assumed that a compound which has been effective in a liquid development process will automatically also be effective in a photothermographic material. Further, when the compound is applied to the photothermographic material, it can not be predicted whether the same effects will be obtained or whether completely different effects can be expected moreover, it is not possible to recall an instance of a compound being applied to a photothermographic material using a high silver iodide emulsion and, it is therefore impossible to foresee the effects of such a compound on a photothermographic material.
On the other hand, an attempt has been proposed to apply the photothermographic material to a photosensitive material for photographing. The term "photosensitive material for photographing" as used herein does not mean a material in which image information is written in by a scanning exposure by means of, for example, laser light, but rather means a material in which an image is recorded by a planar exposure. Since conventionally photothermographic materials have been commonly used in the field of wet development photosensitive materials, a direct or an indirect X-ray film, a mammography film or the like in medical diagnosis applications, various types of plate-making films in printing applications, a recording film in an industrial application, a film for photographing by general-use cameras and the like are all known. For example, disclosed in patent documents have been a photothermographic material for an X-ray application making use of a blue fluorescent sensitizing paper of a both-sides-coated type (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3,229,344), a photothermographic material using a tabular grain of silver iodobromide (see, for example, JP-A No. 59-142539), and a photosensitive material for a medical diagnosis application which has a (100) main face and in which a tabular grain having a high silver chloride content is applied on each surface of a support (see, for example, JP-A No. 10-282602). Further, the photothermographic material of a both-sides-coated type has also been disclosed in patent documents other than those described above (see, for example, JP-A Nos. 2000-227642, 2001-22027, 2001-109101, and 2002-90941.). However, in these known examples, when a fine grain silver halide having a size of 0.1 μm or less is used, haze does not deteriorate, but sensitivity remains low and in consequence the photothermographic material is not able to stand up to practical use. On the other hand, when a silver halide grain having a size of 0.5 μm or more is used, image quality is severely damaged by a deterioration in haze and printout degradation both caused by residual silver halide, thus preventing the photothermographic material from standing up to practical use.
Although a photosensitive material using a tabular grain of silver iodide as a silver halide grain has been known in the wet development field (see, for example, JP-A Nos. 59-119344, and 59-119350), no example is known of a photothermographic material in such applications. The reasons for this are that are taken the photothermographic material has low sensitivity, that no effective sensitizing measures and that, in the case of thermal development, the technical barrier is raised even higher.
In order to use the photothermographic material in the application of the photosensitive material for photographing, a higher sensitivity is required and a level of image quality one-step higher than normal is required, with regard both to haze and to the aspects.

Photothermographic material and image forming method using same


An apparatus (10) includes an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (14) and an inflator (16) for providing inflation fluid for inflating the protection device. The inflator (16) includes an inflation fluid control structure (100). The control structure (100) includes discharge openings (116) for directing inflation fluid into an inflatable volume (72) of the protection device (14) and vent openings (118) for venting inflation fluid outside the inflatable volume. The control structure (100) also includes a vent member (132) actuatable from an open condition permitting inflation flow through the vent openings (118) to a closed condition blocking inflation fluid flow through the vent openings.

It is known to provide an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle. An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device may, for example, include a frontal air bag inflatable between vehicle structure, such as an instrument panel or steering wheel, and a vehicle occupant.
It may be desirable to vent inflation fluid selectively from the air bag in response to vehicle conditions, occupant conditions, or both, in order to help control deployment of the air bag. Sensed vehicle conditions may include, for example, a sensed seat position, a sensed seat weight, and a sensed seat belt buckle latch condition. Sensed occupant conditions may include, for example, a sensed occupant position.
For example, it may be desirable to vent inflation fluid from the air bag if the occupant is positioned away from a normally seated position or in a fully forward and upright seated position in the vehicle. It may also be desirable to block inflation fluid venting from the air bag if the occupant is positioned in the normally seated position in the vehicle.


This invention concerns the production of so called “hand tufted rugs”, carpets and wall hangings by use a “tufting machine” which employs a single hollow needle through which yarn is fed into a backing fabric, to form tufts of yarn. The machine comprises a yarn cutter, in the tufting head, which is selectively operable to cause the tufts to be cut or loop pile. A computer operated motion control system is operable under the control of a machine readable tufting design pattern comprising a series of vectors and associated control codes, to drive the tufting gun as follows: (a) to operate the mechanism and reciprocate the needle to insert tufts into backing fabric. (b) to operate the movement system and move the needle across a two-dimensional plane while inserting tufts, in accordance with the vectors. (c) to lift and lower the foot, in accordance with respective control codes. And, (d) to selectively operate the yarn cutter, in accordance with respective control codes.

"Broad loom tufting machines" typically use a row of several hundred needles to insert row after row of tufts simultaneously into backing fabric which is drawn continuously passed them. Such large scale machines commonly use needles which have an eye to carry the yarn through the backing. It is common practice in broadloom tufting machines to switch between cut pile and loop pile on a stitch by stitch basis, or area by area basis, automatically, and under the control of bit map design data from a design system. Cutting of the yarn is generally done after tuft insertion by means located on the opposite side of the backing fabric to the needles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,667 (H. C. Mueller) describes an early hand-held tufting gun. This gun uses a single hollow needle, and incorporates a cutting mechanism that cooperates with the needle's reciprocating action to produce cut pile. The cutting mechanism is manually engaged and disengaged to switch between cut and loop pile. The patent also describes a ganged arrangement where the cutting mechanism associated with each needle is controlled by a respective pattern chain which determines whether the cutting mechanism is activated or not in any given tufting cycle. The Hartleb (see DE 2,815,801) and Scholz (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,758) hand-held tufting guns are further examples of earlier types of hand guns to which a linear action cutter and a rotary action cutter can be manually engaged and disengaged.
Modern hand-held tufting guns use a hollow needle and a mechanism to cut the yarn after it is inserted in the backing fabric. To switch between cut and loop pile the cutting mechanism must be manually engaged and disengaged, which is tedious and time consuming. At least one manufacturer recommends that two machines be used sequentially, one for cut pile and the other for loop pile.
As a result the carpets and rugs produced by hollow needle tufting guns, whether by hand or by automatic machines, have tended to be constructed entirely of cut pile, or entirely of loop pile. When a mixture of cut pile and loop pile is desired, it is typical to restrict the switching between cut and loop to relatively large and well defined areas of color. It is problematic to have designs in which small runs of cut pile are interspersed with small areas of loop pile. But, there is a growing demand for new textured effects in tufted carpet, including designs which intermingle cut pile and loop pile effects frequently.
A fully mechanical type of hand held tufting gun uses a forked blade, rather than air, to push the yarn through the hollow needle. Machines of this type are able to use a yarn brake so that the forked blade can be used to cut the yarn and produce cut pile. Where loop pile is to be produced the blade is required only to push the yarn into place and not to cut it, and the yarn brake is dispensed with or immobilized. This adjustment can be simple relative to the adjustments required to convert the operation of the pneumatic machines, and a solenoid operated yarn brake can be used to automate the change over. However, it is recommended to change the sharp forked blade for a blunt one when producing loop pile, so that inadvertent damage to the yarn is avoided. Naturally, the sharp blade must be restored when switching back to cut pile.
Furthermore, the forked blade type of machine is unable to offer some of the stitching capabilities of the pneumatic machines, such as the ability to reliably tuft and cut some types of non-woolen yarns, especially when multiple ends of different thickness yarns are tufted simultaneously. The production of exaggerated "J" shaped cut pile tufts is not possible, since both legs of the tuft produced are essentially the same length, making a "U" shaped tuft.
The hollow needle used for this type of tufting has a sharp point created by cutting the cylindrical needle at an angle of 45 degrees. In operation the needle must be oriented such that the tip faces the direction of tufting. When the direction of tufting changes, so must the needle. This is accomplished with manually controlled handguns typically by rotating the entire tufting gun about a hand held swivel, in a range of approximately 180 degrees. This is problematic for automatic operation for several reasons: The yarn feed, electrical supply wires, and pneumatic supply hoses required for operation prevent the head from being rotated continuously through multiple turns. The mass of the parts that must be rotated restrict the rotational speed which reduces the overall speed with which automated tufting machine can be driven, reducing productivity of the machine. Various techniques have been used in the past for rotating the entire or a portion of the tufting mechanism, for example as described in Wilcom Tufting's earlier patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,372 which uses a mechanical "needle and blade" tufting mechanism. These are not adaptable for use in pneumatic tufting guns such as the Hartleb type gun described in DE 2,815,801.
Wilcom Tufting Pty Ltd has another earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,092 and this together with U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,372 give details of the tufting and cutting cycles of operation.
None of the mechanisms proposed or used for automatically changing between cut and loop pile in broad loom or ganged arrangements of tufting machines have proved to be adaptable to single needle tufting guns, whether guided manually by a human operator, or automatically via a computer controlled machine using vector based design definition.


Dual port memory array circuitry is provided that includes bit line voltage clamping circuitry. The clamping circuitry contains control transistors that are used to enable and disable the clamping circuitry. The clamping circuitry also contains voltage regulator transistors and feedback paths. When a write operation is performed on one port of the dual port memory array while a read operation is being performed on the other port of the dual port memory array, the bit line voltage clamping circuitry prevents the voltages on the read port bit lines from dropping too low. This allows the write operation to be performed rapidly, even if the memory cell being written to has been adversely affected by variations due to process, voltage, and temperature.

This invention relates to dual port random-access-memory circuits, and more particularly, to dual port random-access memory circuits with clamping circuitry to limit maximum bit line voltage swings in read bit lines during concurrent read and write operations.
Dual port memory arrays are used in integrated circuits such as integrated circuit memories and programmable logic devices.
Programmable logic devices are a type of integrated circuit that can be programmed by a user to implement a desired custom logic function. In a typical scenario, a logic designer uses computer-aided design (CAD) tools to design a custom logic circuit. These tools help the designer to implement the custom logic circuit using the resources available on a given programmable logic device. When the design process is complete, the CAD tools generate configuration data files. The configuration data is loaded into programmable logic devices to configure them to perform the desired custom logic function.
Programmable logic devices generally contain arrays of random-access memory (RAM). These memory arrays, which are sometimes referred to as embedded array blocks (EABs) are used to handle the storage needs of the circuitry on the device. During normal operation of a programmable logic device, the hardwired and programmable circuitry of the device performs read and write operations on the memory of the blocks. Memory arrays on a programmable logic device typically range in size from a few kilobits to about a megabit or more.
Integrated circuits such as programmable logic devices are often configured to implement memory-based circuits such as clock conversion first-in-first-out (FIFO) circuits. In a typical scenario, data is written into a FIFO using one clock signal and is read out of the FIFO using another clock signal.
Circuits such as FIFO circuits on programmable logic devices are implemented using dual port random-access-memory arrays. Dual port memory arrays are also used in application specific integrated circuits and stand-alone memory chips.
Dual port memory arrays have two independent ports, which can be used for read and write operations. On programmable logic device integrated circuits with dual port memory arrays, programmable logic circuitry and a dual port memory array can be configured to implement a FIFO. One of the dual port memory array's ports is used for write operations, while the other of the dual port memory array's ports is used for read operations.
Dual port memory arrays contain rows and columns of memory cells. Dual port memory array cells are accessed using word lines and bit lines. Because they are two ports associated with each cell, there are two sets of word lines and two sets of bit lines associated with each memory array.
Normal operation of a dual port memory can be disrupted if a write operation on one port occurs during a read operation on the other port.
One way to avoid this type of overlap between read and write operations involves using a common clock for both ports. When a common clock is used, read and write operations can be performed using distinct clock phases, thereby preventing undesirable overlap. However, certain applications such as clock conversion FIFO circuits involve two independent clocks. If it is desired to implement a FIFO circuit of this type, it is not possible to use a common clock for the two ports of the dual port memory array.
Another way to address the disruptions involved when read and write operations overlap involves extending the write clock period. When a longer write lock period is used, the memory cell is less likely to function improperly when a write operation overlaps a read operation.
However, the use of an enlarged write clock cycle slows circuit operation. Moreover, larger write clock cycles will not always ensure proper operation of a memory cell, particularly when the memory cell exhibits large variations due to changes in process, voltage, and temperature (so-called PVT variations). As device sizes and operating voltages become smaller with successive generations of semiconductor manufacturing technology, PVT variations become increasingly important and are expected to be responsible for a growing portion of memory array operational failures such as the disruptions that arise during concurrent read and write operations.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to avoid the deleterious effects of concurrent write and read operations in a dual port memory array without using enlarged write clock cycles.

Dual port random-access-memory circuitry


In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a first core device configured to be disposed within a network. The network has a set of access nodes and a second core device. The first core device is configured to receive a signal designating the first core device as a master device for a virtual group identifier such that the second core device is designated as a back-up device for that virtual group identifier.

Some embodiments described herein relate generally to load balancing of VLAN traffic in converged wired and wireless networks.
In some known networks that include multiple VLANs and core devices, devices associated with a VLAN are typically distributed across multiple subnets associated with different core devices. To route VLAN traffic in such known networks, all core devices typically advertise their subnet routes for VLANs to upstream routers, which then send downstream VLAN traffic to all core devices using, for example, Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing. In such a method, however, some of the VLAN traffic crosses inter-core links to be forwarded towards destined users, wasting bandwidth of inter-core links and excessively occupying ports of the core devices. Additionally, accounting and policing functions for traffic of a VLAN are implemented at multiple core devices in a distributed fashion, which increases the complexity of core devices and makes it difficult to manage VLAN traffic.
To solve the problem of VLAN traffic crossing inter-core links, some other known networks implement a host-routing solution for core devices to advertise host-specific routes. Such a host-routing solution, however, typically leads to the significant increase in the number of routing table entries and inefficient use of routing protocols.
Accordingly, a need exists for methods and apparatus that enable centralized accounting and policing for VLAN traffic at an anchoring point, and load balancing of VLAN traffic with efficient inter-core link utilization without the significant increase in the number of routing table entries.

Methods and apparatus for load balancing VLAN traffic


The invention relates to a broadcast receiver, comprising a control circuit (7) for applying encoded messages, derived from a broadcast signal, to at least one storage device (12, 28), for receiving control data, derived from the encoded messages, from at least one storage device (12, 28), and for forming the messages from the control data in a form suitable for a display device (13) and/or a speech synthesizer circuit (14). In order to accelerate access to the control data, a reading device (16) for reading data from an external first storage device (28) and a second storage device (12) are coupled to the control circuit (7). Moreover, the first storage device (28) is intended to store region-specific control data and the second storage device (12) is intended to store traffic-specific control data.

A broadcast receiver of this kind is known from the magazine Funkschau August 1992 I Spezial, pp. 22 to 26. Audio signals derived from the broadcast signal received in this broadcast receiver are processed in an audio circuit. Furthermore, RDS and TMC data is derived from the broadcast signal. RDS stands for Radio Data System and TMC for Traffic Message Channel. TMC is a functional extension of RDS. RDS-TMC data is transmitted as digital encoded data with the broadcast signal. TMC enables the listener, for example to fetch traffic messages stored in a broadcast receiver as often as desired before or after the start of driving, to listen to traffic messages selectively in conformity with the relevant route, and to have traffic message spoken in the listener's native language, regardless of the relevant national language. Hereinafter, the RDS-TMC data will also be referred to in general as encoded messages. It is also feasible to transmit not only encoded traffic messages but also weather reports and other messages by way of RDS-TMC data or similar encoded data. The encoded messages received are applied to a storage device which applies control data to a control circuit in response thereto. A storage device contains a data file for forming traffic messages and may be, for example a semiconductor memory connected to the control circuit, a semiconductor memory on a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. From the cited document it is known that the control data constitutes designations in an orthographic notation of a language which are to be output as speech. Orthographic is to be understood to mean herein after the correct spelling of designations of a language. In order to enable the designations to be output as speech, the control circuit can access, for example a stored digitally encoded speech signal file.
It is an object of the invention to provide a broadcast receiver offering fast access to the control data stored.
This object is achieved by a broadcast receiver of the kind set forth in that a reading device for reading data from an external, first storage device and a second storage device are coupled to the control circuit, and that the first storage device is intended for the storage of region-specific control data and the second storage device for the storage of traffic-specific control data.
The first storage device forms part of an external, transportable storage medium, for example a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. When use is made of a chip card, containing the first storage device (for example, a ROM), region-specific control data is read from the chip card by means of a reading device (card reader) so as to be transferred to the control circuit. Region-specific control data is data used in a given region (for example, location names for the region Germany). Traffic-specific control data contains designations which are used in more than one region and relates, in a substantially language-dependent manner, to traffic (for example, Autobahnkreuz (highway intersection), Sud (South), Bahnhof (railway station). Traffic-specific control data is also to be understood to include result-specific control data. Such result-specific control data contains, for example parts of traffic messages without region-specific control data (for example, "10 km Stau" (10 km traffic jam)). The second storage device is coupled to the control circuit and serves to store the traffic-specific control data. The second storage device may be, for example a semiconductor memory and be built into the RDS-TMC receiver. The access to the control data of the second storage device is faster than the access to the control data of the first storage device. On the other hand, a chip card containing the first storage device can be more readily exchanged and more simply adapted to changing circumstances. Because the first storage device does not contain traffic-specific data, moreover, it has more storage capacity.
In order to reduce the data file, the two storage devices are intended to store given, each time different control data under a respective escape code. The control circuit is arranged to apply, after reception of control data containing at least one escape code, at least one escape code to the first or the second storage device and to receive the control data stored under the escape code.
Both storage devices store control data associated with an escape code. Control data associated with such an escape code contains frequently used designations, for example "Koln" (Cologne), "AnschluBstelle") (junction) etc. If the control circuit receives control data from the storage device which corresponds to an encoded message and contains at least one escape code, the corresponding message (for example, a traffic message) for a speech synthesizer circuit and/or a display device can be formed only after the control data stored under an escape code has been applied to the control circuit. Because such escape codes require less storage space than the control data, the data file is thus reduced. This is advantageous notably if the broadcast receiver is used for traffic information purposes and the data of a large traffic region (for example, Germany) is stored in a storage device. A further advantage of the invention consists in that suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code enables minimization of errors which could occur during the building up of the data file and would become visible or audible via the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit. A suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code is to be understood to mean herein a selection of word sequences, words and word parts (designations) from a linguistic point of view.
It may occur that for the formation of the message for the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit the control circuit need access at least one storage device several times in order to read the control data filed under escape codes. This can be explained on the basis of two examples. For the designation "AnschluBstelle Koln-Muhlheim" (junction Cologne-Muhlheim) "12365-Muhlheim" or "78654 43263-Muhlheim" could be stored as control data in a storage device. In the first case the control circuit reads, for example the control data "32987 Koln" for the escape code "12365". Subsequently, the control data (in this case: "AnschluBstelle") must still be read for the escape code "32987" in order to compose the designation. In the second case the control circuit extracts the designations "AnschluBstelle" and "Koln" from at least one storage device under the escape codes "78654" and "42263".
Both storage devices store, under a respective encoded message or an escape code, control data wherefrom a designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one language can be derived. Control data may contain, partly or completely, escape codes which represent a given designation in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation. These designations may also be designations which do not belong to the first language but are derived from a further language. For example, there is no designation in German for the Dutch region "Twente". If the German language is the first language, for example in the Dutch orthographic notation the region "Twente" would be stored as an orthographic notation in the German language under the corresponding escape code in at least one storage device.
The data reduction becomes significant if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations in several languages are stored in the two storage devices. Apart from the control data of the first language, control data of a further language is then stored under a respective encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device only if the orthographic and/or phonetic notations of the further language deviate from the first language. Such storage of control data of further languages enables a further reduction of the amount of data.
The storage devices contain lists which are associated with storage sections and contain specific control data associated with a respective encoded message, and also an escape list with the escape codes and the respective associated control data. The first storage device contains an escape list with region-specific control data and the second storage device contains an additional escape list with traffic-specific control data.
Furthermore, the first storage device contains a location list for storing location designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language, an area location list for storing area designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language, and a segment location list for storing road segments in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language. The second storage device is arranged to store result designations in an orthographic and/or phonetic notation in at least one first language. The location list contains location designations (for example, towns) whereas the area location list contains traffic areas (for example, the Ruhr area), administrative areas (for example, Mittelfranken) or tourist areas (for example, Teutoburger Wald); the segment location list contains road segments. The result designations or result-specific control data are stored in a standard phrase list in the second storage device. The location, area location and segment location lists are region-specific lists, whereas the standard phrase list is a result-specific list.
The first storage device could form part of a chip card for use in a card reader. The configuration of such chip cards and their operation are described, for example in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,753, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,499, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,154 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,521. The advantage of such chip cards consists in that in a broadcast receiver they serve to decode traffic messages for a given region, so that they can be readily exchanged when the location or the region changes.
The invention also relates to a module for the processing of encoded messages derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a control circuit which is arranged to
A reading device, arranged to receive an external, first storage device for storing region-specific control data, and a second storage device for storing traffic-specific control data are coupled to the control circuit.
The invention also relates to a chip card for insertion into a card reader for a broadcast receiver or for a module for the processing of encoded messages, derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a first storage device for storing control data with a respective encoded message. In that case the storage device is provided only for the storage of region-specific control data.

Memory structure for use in a broadcast receiver, particularly for providing traffic or geographic information


The present invention provides an improved optical coherence tomography system and involves estimating the impulse response (which is indicative of the actual reflecting and scattering sites within a tissue sample) from the output interferometric signal of an interferometer according to the following steps: (a) acquiring auto-correlation data from the interferometer system; (b) acquiring cross-correlation data from the interferometer system having the biological tissue sample in the sample arm; and (c) processing the auto-correlation data and the cross correlation data to produce an optical impulse response of the tissue. The impulse response may be obtained from the cross-correlation and auto-correlation data by: (d) obtaining an auto-power spectrum from the auto-correlation data by performing a Fourier transform on the auto-correlation data; (e) obtaining a cross-power spectrum from the cross-correlation data by performing a Fourier transform on the cross-correlation data; (f) obtaining a transfer function of the LSI system by taking a ratio of the cross-power spectrum to the auto-power spectrum; and (g) obtaining the optical impulse response of the LSI system by performing an inverse-Fourier transform on the transfer function. Preferably, coherent demodulation is used in combination with the above deconvolution technique to resolve closely-spaced reflecting sites in the sample. By utilizing both the magnitude and phase data of the demodulated interferometric signals, the OCT system of the present invention is able to distinguish between closely spaced reflecting sites within the sample.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a technology that allows for non-invasive, cross-sectional optical imaging in biological media with high spatial resolution and high sensitivity. OCT is an extension of low-coherence or white-light interferometry, in which a low temporal coherence light source is utilized to obtain precise localization of reflections internal to a probed structure along an optic axis. In OCT, this technique is extended to enable scanning of the probe beam in the direction perpendicular to the optic axis, building up a two-dimensional reflectivity data-set, used to create a cross-sectional gray-scale or false-color image of internal tissue backscatter.
OCT has been applied to imaging of biological tissues in vitro and in vivo, although the primary applications of OCT developed to date have been for high resolution imaging of transparent tissues such as the eye. In an OCT image, the detectable intensities of the light reflected from layers of most thick scattering tissues range from 10.sup.-5 to 10.sup.-10 th part of the incident power. For most of these studies, compact and inexpensive super luminescent diode sources (SLDs) have been used as interferometer illumination sources. These commercially available SLDs provide ranging resolutions of 15 to 20 .mu.m (full width at half maximum, i.e., FWHM) in free space. In order to probe ultra-structural details in tissues with fine detail, higher longitudinal resolution is desirable. This is particularly important in the case of non-invasive medical diagnostics, since it is useful to obtain high depth resolution imaging using compact and inexpensive sources which could be easily integrated with endoscopes and catheters.
Epithelial cancers of the breast, lung, and GI tract comprise over 50 percent of all cancers encountered in internal medicine. Many epithelial cancers are preceded by premalignant changes, such as dysplasia or adenoma. Most early GI cancers originate in the superficial layers (i.e., mucosa and submucosa) of the gastrointestinal tract. Because the depth range of OCT imaging is 2 to 3 mm, OCT is sufficient to penetrate superficial tissue layers lining all internal and external free surfaces of the body, including vascular, respiratory, and GI systems, as well as the skin. If axial resolution of OCT images can be optimized to provide cellular resolution (i.e., in the order of 5 .mu.m), OCT could be used in accurate GI cancer staging and high fidelity diagnosis of precancerous diseases such as Barrette's esophagus and chronic ulcerative colitis.
Because the axial resolution is a function of the coherence length of the low coherence source, typically on the order of 15 .mu.m, one known attempt to gain high depth resolution has utilized an ultra-short pulse laser as an alternative source of low coherence length illumination. Ranging resolution of 3.7 .mu.m FWHM has been reported using femtosecond Kerr-lens modelocked TI:Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 laser illumination. A disadvantage with these femtosecond sources is that they are very complicated and expensive, and their medical usage still remains difficult. Accordingly, a need exists for a system that can achieve the high depth resolution imaging utilizing the compact and inexpensive SLDs which can be easily integrated in endoscopes and catheters.
Another problem in known OCT systems, is the formation of unwanted speckle noise in the final gray-scale or false-color image. This speckle noise is caused by the existence of closely spaced reflecting or backscattering sites (located within a coherence length of the SLD to each other) within the sample. Speckle is caused by destructive or constructive interference between the waves backscattered from closely spaced reflecting sites. Because prior art OCT systems have detected only the envelope (i.e., the magnitude data) of the interferometric signal, these systems are unable to resolve the interference between the closely spaced reflectance sites, often producing inaccurate positioning of reflections in addition to spurious reflections in the final image. Accordingly a need also exists for a system that can resolve the closely spaced reflectance sites in the sample, so as to substantially eliminate speckle noise in the final image.

Image enhancement in optical coherence tomography using deconvolution

c/o University Hospitals of Cleveland Department of Medicine Division of Gastroenterology 11100 Euclid Ave.


A pressure wave machine with integrated combustion has a cellular wheel (10) containing a number of cells (16) in which an always recurring ignition and combustion process takes place. To maintain this always recurring process, neither a supply of ignition energy from the outside nor a control intervention should be necessary. Hot-gas channels (18) are provided, by means of which hot gas is taken from one cell (16), in which the combustion step belonging to a cycle has been completed, and recycled to a cell (16) which contains the fuel/air mixture which is to be ignited.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pressure wave machine with integrated combustion, having a cellular wheel which rotates between in each case one air-side and gas-side side part provided with inlet and outlet ports and has a number of cells in which an always recurring ignition and combustion process takes place, and having means for automatic ignition and combustion of the entering fresh gas mixture.

Pressure wave machine with integrated combustion


A hydraulic drive unit of a press machine and a swash plate type variable capacity axial piston pump to use for a hydraulic drive unit. Discharge of the pump and the direction of the hydraulic pressure can be controlled at high speed, and the direction of the hydraulic pressure and the timing of the discharge can coincide. The selector device 12 that includes spool valves in parallel is used in place of a servo valve. An electric motor 30 for driving the pump and cam of the axial piston pump 11 and an electric motor 47 for driving the selector cam of the selector device 12 are controlled cooperatively by commands from the numerical control device 14. Two spools 44a, 44b of the selector device 12 perform changeover actuation alternately. Synchronous control of the discharge of the axial piston pump 11 and the flowing direction change of working fluid to the hydraulic pressure cylinder 1 are done, so that the piston 1a of the hydraulic pressure cylinder 1 is made to move up and down.

This invention relates to a hydraulic drive unit of a press machine such as a turret punch press that reciprocates a ram at high speed. Moreover, this invention relates to a swash plate type variable capacity axial piston pump improved with respect to the control drive of the pump discharge.

Hydraulic drive unit of a press machine and a swash plate type variable capacity axial piston pump to use for said device


A silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material comprising at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support, wherein the emulsion layer contains a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-1) below:

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-245812, filed Aug. 14, 2000; and No. 2001-020183, filed Jan. 29, 2001, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material and a novel color coupler compound used therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many photographic couplers are used as they are dispersed in high-boiling organic solvents such as phosphoric ester and phthalic ester. On the other hand, lightsensitive materials for photographing are required to be thin in order to improve the sharpness. Therefore, couplers used in lightsensitive materials for photographing are dispersed by emulsification by using no high-boiling organic solvents (so-called oilless dispersion) or by using only slight amounts of high-boiling organic solvents. Compared to a case in which high-boiling organic solvents are used, the color forming efficiency lowers, and the absorption spectrum broadens.
Also, silver halide color photographic lightsensitive materials are strongly required to have faithful color reproducibility in addition to high sensitivity, high sharpness, and high granularity.
In the field of silver halide color photographic lightsensitive materials, a 1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone coupler has been conventionally widely used as a magenta coupler. On the other hand, some pyrazoloazole-based couplers having little side absorption and good hue, which are favored as image forming dyes, have been put into practical use.
Pyrazolotriazole magenta couplers are excellent compounds in that they have good hue. However, when introduced into lightsensitive materials, they pose various problems such as low color forming efficiency, low resistance against processing variations, and low color image storage stability.
In particular, a 4-equivalent pyrazolotriazole magenta coupler which couples with an oxidized form of an aromatic primary amine developing agent in the position of hydrogen atom substitution has low color forming efficiency, although it has high granularity, and has a large degree of yellow coloration which occurs by the lapse of time after development. On the other hand, a 2-equivalent coupler whose coupling position is substituted by a split-off group (e.g., a halogen atom) except for a hydrogen atom generates a color with a smaller silver amount than a 4-equivalent coupler. Although this 2-equivalent coupler does not easily cause yellow coloration, the granularity lowers, and this degrades the image quality.
To solve these problems, couplers in which substituents on pyrazoloazole rings are variously improved have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,266 and European Patent Publication No. 183,445 disclosed improvements of the light fastness of a color image by couplers in which the bulkiness of a 6-position substituent is increased. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A-)1-102557 disclosed improvements of the color forming efficiency in oilless processing by couplers in which carboxylic acid is introduced as a dissociation group into coupler molecules. JP-A-5-150419 describes a coupler having a sulfonamide bond. JP-A-63-291058 also describes a coupler similar to the present invention. Unfortunately, when the present inventors attempted to apply these techniques, they newly found that improvements of yellow coloration and color image storage stability by these techniques during the lapse of time after processing were still unsatisfactory. Also, they newly found that the couplers increased the cost and deteriorated the crystallinity and hence could not be used in industrial applications. Furthermore, they newly found that the sensitivity decreased when the couplers were retained before coating after they were mixed in color-sensitized silver halide emulsions.
Most pyrazoloazole-based couplers currently put into practical use are 2-equivalent couplers having a split-off group except for a hydrogen atom in a portion where these couplers react with an oxidized form of a color developing agent. Color reversal photographic lightsensitive materials are subjected to first development, reversal processing, and color development in this order. 2-equivalent couplers have an essential problem that since they have high color forming efficiency per mol of silver, they decrease the sensitivity compared to 4-equivalent couplers. Therefore, when pyrazoloazole magenta couplers are to be applied to color reversal photographic lightsensitive materials, 4-equivalent couplers are preferred in respect of sensitivity. From this viewpoint, the couplers described in JP-A""s-5-150419 and 63-291058 are unfavorable because they are primarily 2-equivalent couplers. Applications of 4-equivalent pyrazoloazole magenta couplers to color reversal photographic lightsensitive materials are described in, e.g., JP-A""s-5-100382 and 63-153548. However, these techniques have not solved the above-mentioned problem of yellow coloration caused by the lapse of time after processing. In addition, the problem of the absorption spectrum of a generated dye in oilless dispersion remains unsolved.
It is the first object of the present invention to provide a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material which has high color reproducibility and high image stability and produces stains little. It is the second object of the present invention to provide a coupler which achieves high color forming efficiency even when the use amount of a high-boiling organic solvent is reduced. It is the third object of the present invention to provide a novel pyrazolotriazole-based compound which can be manufactured at low cost and has high manufacturing suitability. It is the fourth object of the present invention to provide a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material which lowers the sensitivity little when stored and changes photographic properties little by variations in processing compositions.
The present inventors made extensive studies on the structure and photographic properties of pyrazolotriazole couplers. As a consequence, the present inventors have found couplers solving the above problems and thereby completed the present invention.
That is, the objects of the present invention were achieved by the following lightsensitive material and compound.
(1) A silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material comprising at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support, wherein the emulsion layer contains a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-1) below:
wherein R1 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group; each of L1 and L2 independently represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group, or substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group; in xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G, L3 represents xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 (in these representations, bonding direction is not defined) and G represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group or substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group, alternatively xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G represents xe2x80x94COOH or OH; X represents a hydrogen atom or a group which splits off when coupling with an oxidized form of a developing agent; n represents 1 or 2, when L2 is an alkylene group, or n represents an integer from 1 to 5, when L2 is an arylene group; and a plurality of xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G""s can be the same or different, when n is 2 or more.
(2) A silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material comprising at least one photosensitive silver halide emulsion layer on a support, wherein the emulsion layer contains a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-2) below:
wherein R11 represents a 1- to 6-carbon nonsubstituted alkyl group; L11 represents a 1 to 6-carbon nonsubstituted alkylene group; each of G1 and G2 independently represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group, halogen atom, substituted or nonsubstituted acylamino group, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group, or substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonyl group; s represents an integer from 0 to 4; t represents an integer from 0 to 5; u represents 1 or 2; the sum of s and u does not exceed 5; and the value of pKa of xe2x80x94NHSO2xe2x80x94 between the two phenyl groups at 25xc2x0 C. in a solution of THF/H2O=6/4 is 12 or less.
(3) A compound represented by formula (M-3) below:
wherein each of G11 and G12 independently represents a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group, halogen atom, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted acylamino group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group, or 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonyl group; sxe2x80x2 represents an integer from 0 to 4; txe2x80x2 represents an integer from 0 to 5; uxe2x80x2 represents 1 or 2; and the sum of sxe2x80x2 and uxe2x80x2 does not exceed 5.
A magenta coupler of the present invention is a novel compound and shows very high performance even in a color negative photographic lightsensitive material. Also, a magenta coupler of the present invention is useful not only as a coupler for a silver halide photographic lightsensitive material but also as a material intermediate of medicines and agricultural chemicals.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
The present invention will be described in detail below. In this specification, xe2x80x9cnonsubstituted alkyl groupsxe2x80x9d mean straight-chain, branched, and cyclic alkyl groups, e.g., an n-butyl group, 2-ethylhexyl group, t-butyl group, and cyclohexyl group. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkylxe2x80x9d will be described in detail below.
The present invention provides a silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material comprising at least one silver halide emulsion layer on a support, wherein at least one of the emulsion layers contains a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-1) below.
In formula (M-1), R1 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group. R1 is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group. Examples of a substituent for substituting this alkyl group are an aryl group, heterocyclic group, acyl group, acyloxy group, acylamino group, alkoxy group, aryloxy group, heterocyclic oxy group, alkoxycarbonyl group, aryloxycarbonyl group, a heterocyclic oxycarbonyl group, alkylcarbamoyl group, arylcarbamoyl group, alkylsulfonyl group, arylsulfonyl group, alkylsulfamoyl group, arylsulfamoyl group, alkylsulfonylamino group, amino group (including an anilino group), alkylsulfinyl group, arylsulfinyl group, alkylthio group, arylthio group, mercapto group, hydroxyl group, cyano group, nitro group, hydroxyamino group, carboxyl group, sulfo group, and halogen atom. Practical examples are those enumerated as substituents for substituting L1 and L2 to be described later. Practical examples of the heterocyclic oxycarbonyl group, alkylcarbamoyl group, arylcarbamoyl group, alkylsulfamoyl group, and arylsulfamoyl group are furyloxycarbonyl, methylcarbamoyl, phenylcarbamoyl, dimethylsulfamoyl, and phenylsulfamoyl, respectively. Examples of R1 are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, t-butyl, n-octyl, eicosyl, 2-chloroethyl, 2-cyanoethyl, and 2-ethylhexyl. R1 is particularly preferably an alkyl group not containing a hetero atom, i.e., an alkyl group made up of only carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms, and more preferably a 1- to 10-carbon, straight-chain, branched, or cyclic, nonsubstituted alkyl group. R1 is more preferably a 1- to 6-carbon, nonsubstituted alkyl group, further preferably isopropyl or t-butyl, and most preferably t-butyl.
In formula (M-1), L1 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group or substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group. Examples of a substituent when this alkylene group or arylene group is substituted are a halogen atom, alkyl group (including a cycloalkyl group), aryl group, heterocyclic group, cyano group, hydroxyl group, nitro group, carboxyl group, alkoxy group, aryloxy group, silyloxy group, heterocyclic oxy group, acyloxy group, carbamoyloxy group, alkoxycarbonyloxy group, aryloxycarbonyloxy group, amino group (including an anilino group), acylamino group, aminocarbonylamino group, alkoxycarbonylamino group, aryloxycarbonylamino group, sulfamoylamino group, alkylsulfonylamino and arylsulfonylamino groups, mercapto group, alkylthio group, arylthio group, heterocyclic thio group, sulfamoyl group, sulfo group, alkylsulfinyl and arylsulfinyl groups, alkylsulfonyl and arylsulfonyl groups, acyl group, aryloxycarbonyl group, alkoxycarbonyl group, carbamoyl group, arylazo and heterocyclic azo groups, imide group, phosphino group, phosphinyl group, phosphinyloxy group, phosphinylamino group, and silyl group.
More specifically, examples of the substituent are as follows:
a halogen atom (e.g., a chlorine atom, bromine atom, and iodine atom);
alkyl group {a straight-chain, branched, or cyclic alkyl group, more specifically, a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group having preferably 1 to 40 carbon atoms (e.g., methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, t-butyl, n-octyl, n-octadecyl, eicosyl, 2-chloroethyl, 2-cyanoethyl, and 2-ethylhexyl), substituted or nonsubstituted cycloalkyl group having preferably 3 to 40 carbon atoms (e.g., cyclohexyl, cyclopentyl, and 4-n-dodecylcyclohexyl), bicycloalkyl group (preferably a 5- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted bicycloalkyl group, i.e., a monovalent group obtained by removing one hydrogen atom from 5- to 30-carbon bicycloalkane, e.g., bicyclo[1,2,2]heptane-2-yl and bicyclo[2,2,2]octane-3-yl), and group of tricyclo structure having a larger number of ring structures. An alkyl group in substituents to be explained below (e.g., an alkyl group in an alkylthio group) also represents an alkyl group having this concept};
aryl group (preferably a 6- to 50-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group, e.g., phenyl, p-tolyl, naphthyl, m-chlorophenyl, o-hexadekanoylaminophenyl, and p-tert-octylphenyl);
heterocyclic group {preferably a monovalent group obtained by removing one hydrogen atom from a 5- or 6-membered, substituted or nonsubstituted, aromatic or nonaromatic heterocyclic compound, an aromatic ring such as benzene being able to be condensed, and more preferably a 3- to 30-carbon, 5- or 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group. A heterocyclic ring preferably has at least one nitrogen atom, at least one oxygen atom, or at least one sulfur atom, and more preferably has at least one nitrogen atom. Examples of the heterocyclic ring are 2-furyl, 2-thienyl, 2-pyrimidinyl, and 2-benzothiazolyl. A heterocyclic group in substituents to be explained below (e.g., a heterocyclic group in a heterocyclic oxy group) also represents a heterocyclic group having this concept};
cyano group;
hydroxyl group;
nitro group;
carboxyl group;
alkoxy group (preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, e.g., methoxy, ethoxy, isopropoxy, t-butoxy, n-octyloxy, and 2-methoxyethoxy);
aryloxy group (preferably a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group, e.g., phenoxy, 2-methylphenoxy, 4-t-butylphenoxy, 3-nitrophenoxy, and 2-tetradecanoylaminophenoxy);
silyloxy group (preferably a 3- to 20-carbon silyloxy group, e.g., trimethylsilyloxy and t-butyldimethylsilyloxy);
heterocyclic oxy group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted heterocyclic oxy group, e.g., 1-phenyltetrazole-5-oxy and 2-tetrahydropyranyloxy);
acyloxy group (preferably a formyloxy group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylcarbonyloxy group, and 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylcarbonyloxy group, e.g., formyloxy, acetyloxy, pivaloyloxy, stearoyloxy, benzoyloxy, and p-methoxyphenylcarbonyloxy);
carbamoyloxy group (preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted carbamoyloxy group, e.g., N,N-dimethylcarbamoyloxy, N,N-diethylcarbamoyloxy, morpholinocarbonyloxy, N,N-di-n-octylcarbamoyloxy, and N-n-octylcarbamoyloxy);
alkoxycarbonyloxy group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyloxy group, e.g., methoxycarbonyloxy, ethoxycarbonyloxy, t-butoxycarbonyloxy, and n-octylcarbonyloxy);
aryloxycarbonyloxy group (preferably a 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxycarbonyloxy group, e.g., phenoxycarbonyloxy, p-methoxyphenoxycarbonyloxy, and p-(n-hexadecyloxy)phenoxycarbonyloxy);
amino group (preferably an amino group, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylamino group, and 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted anilino group, e.g., amino, methylamino, dimethylamino, anilino, N-methyl-anilino, and diphenylamino);
acylamino group (preferably a formylamino group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylcarbonylamino group, and 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylcarbonylamino group, e.g., formylamino, acetylamino, pivaloylamino, lauroylamino, benzoylamino, and 3,4,5-tri-(n-octyloxy)phenylcarbonylamino);
aminocarbonylamino group (preferably 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonylamino, e.g., carbamoylamino, N,N-dimethylaminocarbonylamino, N,N-diethylaminocarbonylamino, and morpholinocarbonylamino);
alkoxycarbonylamino group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonylamino group, e.g., methoxycarbonylamino, ethoxycarbonylamino, t-butoxycarbonylamino, n-octadecyloxycarbonylamino, and N-methyl-methoxycarbonylamino);
aryloxycarbonylamino group (preferably a 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxycarbonylamino group, e.g., phenoxycarbonylamino, p-chlorophenoxycarbonylamino, and m-(n-octyloxy)phenoxycarbonylamino);
sulfamoylamino group (preferably a 0- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted sulfamoylamino group, e.g., sulfamoylamino, N,N-dimethylsulfamoylamino, and N-n-octylsulfamoylamino);
alkylsulfonylamino and arylsulfonylamino groups (preferably 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylsulfonylamino and 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylsulfonylamino, e.g., methylsulfonylamino, butylsulfonylamino, phenylsulfonylamino, 2,3,5-trichlorophenylsulfonylamino, and p-methylphenylsulfonylamino);
mercapto group;
alkylthio group (preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylthio group, e.g., methylthio, ethylthio, and n-hexadecylthio);
arylthio group (preferably 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylthio, e.g., phenylthio, p-chlorophenylthio, and m-methoxyphenylthio);
heterocyclic thio group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted heterocyclic thio group, e.g., 2-benzothiazolylthio and 1-phenyltetrazole-5-ylthio);
sulfamoyl group (preferably a 0- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted sulfamoyl group, e.g., N-ethylsulfamoyl, N-(3-dodecyloxypropyl)sulfamoyl, N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl, N-acetylsulfamoyl, N-benzoylsulfamoyl, and N-(Nxe2x80x2-phenylcarbamoyl)sulfamoyl);
sulfo group;
alkylsulfinyl and arylsulfinyl groups (preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylsulfinyl group and 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylsulfinyl group, e.g., methylsulfinyl, ethylsulfinyl, phenylsulfinyl, and p-methylphenylsulfinyl);
alkylsulfonyl and arylsulfonyl groups (preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylsulfonyl group and 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylsulfonyl group, e.g., methylsulfonyl, ethylsulfonyl, phenylsulfonyl, and p-methylphenylsulfonyl);
acyl group (preferably a formyl group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylcarbonyl group, 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylcarbonyl group, and 5- to 25-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted, 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic carbonyl group, e.g., acetyl, pivaloyl, 2-chloroacetyl, stearoyl, benzoyl, p-n-octyloxyphenylcarbonyl, and 2-pyridylcarbonyl);
aryloxycarbonyl group (preferably a 7- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxycarbonyl group, e.g., phenoxycarbonyl, o-chlorophenoxycarbonyl, m-nitrophenoxycarbonyl, and p-t-butylphenoxycarbonyl);
alkoxycarbonyl group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group, e.g., methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, t-butoxycarbonyl, and n-octadecyloxycarbonyl);
carbamoyl group (preferably 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted carbamoyl, e.g., carbamoyl, N-methylcarbamoyl, N,N-dimethylcarbamoyl, N,N-di-n-octylcarbamoyl, N-(methylsulfonyl)carbamoyl, and a group in which R and Rxe2x80x2 of xe2x80x94CON(R)Rxe2x80x2 bond to form a ring (e.g., a morpholinocarbonyl group));
arylazo and heterocyclic azo groups (preferably a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylazo group, and 3- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted heterocyclic azo group, e.g., phenylazo, p-chlorophenylazo, and 5-ethylthio-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-ylazo);
imide group (preferably N-succinimide and N-phthalimide);
phosphino group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted phosphino group, e.g., dimethylphosphino, diphenylphosphino, and methylphenoxyphosphino);
phosphinyl group (preferably a 0- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted phosphinyl group, e.g., phosphinyl, dioctyloxyphosphinyl, and diethoxyphosphinyl);
phosphinyloxy group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted phosphinyloxy group, e.g., diphenoxyphosphinyloxy and dioctyloxyphosphinyloxy);
phosphinylamino group (preferably a 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted phosphinylamino group, e.g., dimethoxyphosphinylamino and dimethylaminophosphinylamino); and
silyl group (preferably a 3- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted silyl group, e.g., trimethylsilyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl, and phenyldimethylsilyl).
Of the above functional groups, those having a hydrogen atom can be further substituted by the above groups by removing the hydrogen atom. Examples of such functional groups are an alkylcarbonylaminosulfonyl group, arylcarbonylaminosulfonyl group, alkylsulfonylaminocarbonyl group, and arylsulfonylaminocarbonyl group. More specific examples are methylsulfonylaminocarbonyl, p-methylphenylsulfonylaminocarbonyl, acetylaminosulfonyl, and benzoylaminosulfonyl groups.
When L1 is an alkylene group, this alkylene group is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group which can be straight-chain, branched, or cyclic. This alkylene group is more preferably a 1- to 10-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylene group, and most preferably a 1- to 6-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylene group. Examples are methylene, 1,2-ethylene, 1,3-propylene, 1-methylmethylene, 1,1-dimethylmethylene, 1,1,2,2-tetramethyl-1,2-ethylene, 1,4-butylene, 1,4-cyclohexylene, and 1-phenylmethylene.
When L1 is an arylene group, this arylene group is preferably a 6- to 35-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group, and more preferably a 6- to 12-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group. Examples are 1,2-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, 1,4-phenylene, and 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-phenylene. L1 is preferably an alkylene group, rather than an arylene group.
Practical examples of L1 are presented below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In these formulas, a symbol * indicates the position where L1 bonds to a pyrazoloazole ring.
In formula (M-1), L2 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group or substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group. Examples of a substituent when this alkylene group or arylene group is substituted are those enumerated above as substituents for substituting L1.
When L2 is an alkylene group, this alkylene group is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group which can be straight-chain, branched, or cyclic. This alkylene group represented by L2 is more preferably a 1- to 25-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group, and the number of carbon atoms is more preferably 1 to 20. A 1- to 6-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylene group is particularly preferred. Examples are 1,2-ethylene, 1,4-butylene, 1,14-tetradecylene, 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1-phenylmethylene, and 2-ethyl-1,6-cyclohexylene.
When L2 is an arylene group, this arylene group is preferably a 6- to 40-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group, and more preferably a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group, and the number of carbon atoms is more preferably 6 to 25. Examples are 1,2-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, 1,4-phenylene, 2-butoxy-1,5-phenylene, 2-octyloxy-1,5-phenylene, 2-hexadecyloxy-1,5-phenylene, 4-methoxyphenoxy-1,5-phenylene, 4-chloro-1,5-phenylene, 2-methoxyethoxy-1,5-phenylene, 2-hexadecyl-1,5-phenylene, 4-hexadecyl-1,5-phenylene, 4-hexadecyloxy-1,5-phenylene, 2-hexadecyloxy-1,4-phenylene, 2-methylcyclohexyloxy-1,5-phenylene, 2-benzyloxy-1,5-phenylene, and 2-octadecyloxy-1,5-phenylene. The 1-position of any of these arylene groups bonds to the right side of an xe2x80x94L1xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 group of formula (M-1).
Practical examples of L2 are presented below, but the present invention it not limited to these examples. In these formulas, a symbol * indicates the position where L2 bonds to the right side of an xe2x80x94L1xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 group of formula (M-1).
L2 is preferably an arylene group, rather than an alkylene group. Also, L2 is preferably substituted. This substituent is preferably an alkoxy group, aminocarbonyl group, halogen atom, or alkyl group.
L3 represents xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 (In these representations, bonding direction is not defined. More specifically, either the left side or the right side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 can bond to L2, or either the left side or the right side of xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 can bond to L2). Alternatively, L3xe2x80x94G represents xe2x80x94COOH or xe2x80x94OH.
L3 is preferably xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94. The left side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 preferably bonds to NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94L2, and the right side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 preferably bonds to G.
X represents a hydrogen atom or a group which splits off when coupling with an oxidized form of a developing agent. Practical examples are a halogen atom, alkoxy group, aryloxy group, acyloxy group, alkylsulfonyloxy or arylsulfonyloxy group, acylamino group, alkylsulfonylamino or arylsulfonylamino group, alkoxycarbonyloxy group, alkylthio, arylthio, or heterocyclic thio group, carbamoyl group, carbamoyloxy group, heterocyclic carbonyloxy group, 5- or 6-membered, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, imide group, arylazo group, and alkyl group {e.g., a group represented by formula xe2x80x94CR21(R22)xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94R23 (each of R21 and R22 independently represents a hydrogen atom, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, or substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group, and R23 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group or substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group)}.
X is preferably a hydrogen atom, halogen atom, alkoxy group, aryloxy group, alkylthio or arylthio group, alkyloxycarbonyloxy group, aryloxycarbonyloxy group, or carbamoyloxy group, more preferably a hydrogen atom, halogen atom, 6- to 30-carbon arylthio group, or 6- to 30-carbon aryloxy group, and most preferably a hydrogen atom.
G represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group or substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group. Examples of a substituent for substituting these alkyl and aryl groups are those enumerated above as substituents for substituting L1 and L2. G is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group or 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group, and more preferably a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group. This aryl group is preferably substituted. This substituent is preferably a 2- to 10-carbon alkoxycarbonyl group (including a cycloalkoxycarbonyl group), an aminocarbonyl group substituted by 1- to 10-carbon alkyl, a halogen atom, or a 1- to 20-carbon alkyl group.
In formula (M-1), n represents 1 or 2 when L2 is an alkylene group, and represents an integer from 1 to 5 when L2 is an arylene group. When n is 2 or more, a plurality of xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G""s can be the same or different. n is preferably 1 or 2.
In a preferred structure of formula (M-1), R1 is a 1- to 10-carbon, straight-chain, branched, or cyclic, nonsubstituted alkyl group, L1 is a 1- to 10-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylene group, L2 is a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group, L3 is xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 (the left side bonds to NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94L2 and the right side bonds to G), n is 1 or 2, X is a hydrogen atom, halogen atom, 6- to 30-carbon arylthio group, or 6- to 30-carbon aryloxy group, and G is a 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group.
A coupler represented by formula (M-1) preferably has a structure represented by formula (M-2) below.
In formula (M-2), R11 is a 1- to 6-carbon, nonsubstituted alkyl group. Practical examples of R11 are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, t-butyl, and t-octyl. R11 is preferably isopropyl or t-butyl and most preferably t-butyl.
L11 is a 1- to 6-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylene group. Practical examples are methylene, 1,2-ethylene, 1,3-propylene, 1-methylmethylene, 1-isopropylmethylene, 1,1-dimethylmethylene, 1,1,2,2-tetramethyl-1,2-ethylene, 1,4-butylene, and 1,4-cyclohexylene. L11 is most preferably 1-methylmethylene.
Each of G1 and G2 independently represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group, halogen atom, substituted or nonsubstituted acylamino group, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group (including a cycloalkyloxycarbonyl group), or substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonyl group.
G1 is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, nonsubstituted alkyl group (e.g., methyl or t-octyl), 1- to 30-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxy group (e.g., methoxy, n-octyloxy, or n-octadecyloxy), 6- to 30-carbon, nonsubstituted aryloxy group (e.g., phenoxy or p-methoxyphenoxy), or 2- to 31-carbon alkoxycarbonyl group (e.g., methoxycarbonyl, n-octyloxycarbonyl, or n-octadecyloxycarbonyl). G1 is most preferably a 1- to 22-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxy group.
It is preferable that G1 bond to the phenylene group in an ortho-position to xe2x80x94L11xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 in formula (M-2).
G2 is preferably a halogen atom (e.g., chlorine, bromine, or iodine), 1- to 30-carbon, nonsubstituted acylamino group (e.g., formylamino, acetylamino, or pivaloylamino), 2- to 30-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group (e.g., methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, n-octyloxycarbonyl, or cyclohexyloxycarbonyl), or 1- to 30-carbon aminocarbonyl group which is nonsubstituted or substituted by an alkyl group (e.g., carbamoyl, dimethylcarbamoyl, n-octylcarbamoyl, or piperidinocarbonyl). G2 is most preferably a 2- to 10-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group or 2- to 10-carbon aminocarbonyl group substituted by an alkyl group.
When t is 1, it is preferable that G2 bond to the phenyl group in a meta-position to xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 in formula (M-2). When t is 2, it is preferable that two G2""s bond to the phenyl group in two meta-positions to xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 in formula (M-2).
s represents an integer from 0 to 4, t represents an integer from 0 to 5, and u represents 1 or 2. The sum of s and u does not exceed 5. s is preferably 0 or 1, t is preferably 1 or 2, and u is preferably 1.
In a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-2), the value of pKa of xe2x80x94NHSO2xe2x80x94 between the two phenyl groups at 25xc2x0 C. in a solution of THF/H2O=6/4 is 12 or less, preferably 11 or less. This pKa is preferably 5 or more, more preferably 7 or more, and most preferably 9 or more.
The pKa is preferably 5 to 12, more preferably 7 to 11, and most preferably 9 to 10.5.
In a magenta coupler represented by formula (M-2), when both substituents G1 and G2 of the phenyl groups are alkyl groups or alkoxy groups, the value of pKa exceeds 12.
A coupler having a pKa value of 12 or less has high color forming efficiency even when used without any oil, and has a small effect on the color forming efficiency caused by variations in the pH of a processing solution.
In practical examples CP-2 and CP-5 to be presented later of a magenta coupler, pKa values are 10.4 and 10.9, respectively.
In formula (M-2), the left side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 bonds to the phenyl group in arbitrary position to form the phenylene group. Preferably, the left side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 bonds to the phenyl group in a meta-position to xe2x80x94L11xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 in formula (M-2).
A coupler having a structure represented by formula (M-1) of the present invention more preferably has a structure represented by formula (M-3) below. A coupler having this structure is a novel compound.
In formula (M-3), each of G11 and G12 independently represents a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group, halogen atom, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted acylamino group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group, or 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonyl group. Practical examples of substituents G11 and G12 are those enumerated above for G1 and G2 in formula (M-2).
G11 is preferably a 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxy group, or 6- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aryloxy group. G11 is more preferably a 1- to 22-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxy group, and most preferably n-hexadecyloxy, n-octadecyloxy, n-eicosyloxy, or n-dieicosyloxy.
It is preferable that G11 bond to the phenylene group in an ortho-position to xe2x80x94CH(CH3)xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 in formula (M-3).
G12 is preferably a halogen atom, 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted acylamino group, 2- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group, or 1- to 30-carbon, substituted or nonsubstituted aminocarbonyl group. G12 is more preferably a 2- to 10-carbon, nonsubstituted alkoxycarbonyl group or 2- to 10-carbon, nonsubstituted alkylaminocarbonyl group.
When txe2x80x2 is 1, it is preferable that G12 bond to the phenyl group in a meta-position to xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 in formula (M-3). When txe2x80x2 is 2, it is preferable that two G12""s bond to the phenyl group in two meta-positions to xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 in formula (M-3).
sxe2x80x2 represents an integer from 0 to 4, txe2x80x2 represents an integer from 0 to 5, and uxe2x80x2 represents 1 or 2. The sum of sxe2x80x2 and uxe2x80x2 does not exceed 5. sxe2x80x2 is preferably 0 or 1, txe2x80x2 is preferably 1 or 2, and uxe2x80x2 is preferably 1.
In formula (M-3), the left side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 bonds to the phenyl group in arbitrary position to form the phenylene group. Preferably, the left side of xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 bonds to the phenyl group in a meta-position to xe2x80x94CH(CH3)xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 in formula (M-3).
The measurement of the pKa value in the present invention will be described below. The pKa value was measured under the following conditions by using the AT-210 measurement device (Kyoto Denshi Kogyo K.K.) That is, 1xc3x9710xe2x88x925 mL of a magenta coupler of the present invention was accurately weighed at room temperature (25xc2x0 C.) and dissolved in 30 mL of THF. 20 mL of H2O were then added to completely dissolve the material. Subsequently, 0.25 mL of an aqueous 0.2 N hydrochloric acid solution was added, and the resultant solution was stirred. This solution was titrated with an aqueous 0.2 N NaOH solution, and the pKa value was obtained from the middle point of neutralization. All pKa values in the present invention were obtained under the above measurement conditions.

Silver halide color photographic lightsensitive material and compound used therein

Abstract: wherein R1 represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group, each of L1 and L2 independently represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkylene group, or substituted or nonsubstituted arylene group, in xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G, L3 represents xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94 (in these representations, bonding direction is not defined) and G represents a substituted or nonsubstituted alkyl group or substituted or nonsubstituted aryl group, alternatively xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G represents xe2x80x94COOH or OH, X represents a hydrogen atom or a group which splits off when coupling with an oxidized form of a developing agent, n represents 1 or 2, when L2 is an alkylene group, or n represents an integer from 1 to 5, when L2 is an arylene group, and a plurality of xe2x80x94L3xe2x80x94G""s can be the same or different, when n is 2 or more.


A wiring board has a metal-made base having a front surface and a back surface, an insulating frame body bonded to the front surface of the base through a bonding layer made of bonding material, a mounting area where a component is supposed to be mounted on the front surface of the base, and a restriction portion formed by a groove or a protrusion that is provided on the front surface of the base or by a combination of the groove and the protrusion. The restriction portion is arranged in at least a part of an area between the mounting area and the frame body on the front surface in plan view.

The present disclosure relates to a wiring board.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-204426 (hereinafter is referred to as "JP2015-204426") discloses a wiring board. In JP2015-204426, in order to enhance a heat radiation performance of a component, such as a semiconductor device, mounted on the board, a metal-made base is fixed to a frame body. More specifically, the base is bonded to the frame body through a bonding material such as a brazing material.
Here, when the base is bonded to the frame body, if the molten bonding material flows to a mounting area where the component such as an electronic component is supposed to be mounted, the bonding material hardens in the mounting area and bumps are formed. These bumps cause inadequate bonding of the component to the base, and also result in the component slanting which causes poor mount of the component. The poor mount of the component consequently leads to decrease in bonding strength of the component, in the heat radiation performance of the component and in accuracy of a mounting position of the component.
Therefore, in JP2015-204426, by providing a stepped portion at the frame body, the flow of the bonding material to the mounting area is suppressed.


A display device includes a display unit having a front surface for display, a rear surface formed with a vertical row of spaced-apart positioning hole units, and a bottom side. A supporting unit includes a first supporting rod that is connected pivotally to the rear surface of the display unit, that is disposed adjacent to the bottom side, and that is adapted to abut against a supporting surface, and a second supporting rod connected pivotally to the first supporting rod and having a free end formed with a positioning stub that engages a selected one of the positioning hole units in the rear surface of the display unit so that an acute angle is formed between the first and second supporting rods, thereby supporting the display unit on the supporting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a display device, more particularly to a display device having a retractable supporting unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional display device that includes a display panel 10, and a base plate 11 for supporting the display panel 10.
The following are some of the drawbacks of the conventional display device:
1. The base plate 11 has a relatively significant weight for stability purposes, thereby resulting in inconvenience during transport of the display device.
2. Since the base plate 11 has a relatively large area and must be disposed on a flat surface, a large and flat area is required for placement of the conventional display device. This limits the locations where the conventional display device may be positioned.
3. The base plate 11 cannot support the display panel 10 at a position tilted to any considerable degree such that the conventional display device is not suitable for use by those desiring the ability to perform adjustment with different tilt angles.

Display device having a retractable supporting unit