FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive
material, and more particularly to a color photographic light-sensitive material which
is capable of forming a color photographic image excellent in the color reproduction
even under diverse exposure conditions to different light sources.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Silver halide multilayer color photographic light-sensitive materials have lately
been so improved as to provide remarkably high quality images. The three major factors
of the image quality - graininess, sharpness and color reproducibility - are now all
on a considerably high level; it seems that general customers have no large complaint
to make about the photographic print or slide image quality.
[0003] However, of the above three factors, particularly as for the color reproducibility,
the reproducibility of a color that is conventionally said hard to be photographically
reproduced still remains not so much improved, although the color purity has been
improved.
[0004] That is, there are still many insufficient aspects of the color reproducibility.
For example, in the case of colors that reflect lights having longer wavelengths than
600 nm, including purple, blue-violet, greenish colors such as bluish-green and yellowish-green,
the photographically reproduced colors are quite different from the original ones,
which may disappoint customers. The principal factors influencing the color reproducibility
are the spectral sensitivity distribution and the interimage effect of a color light-sensitive
material.
[0005] The interimage effect, in a silver halide multilayer color photographic light-sensitive
material, is effective to improve color-reproducing characteristics, particularly
the color purity. The interimage effect can be obtained by a method of using a recently
widely used diffusible DIR coupler containing an inhibitor group or its precursor
having a high mobility. For a color negative film, there is a method capable of giving
a similar effect to the interimage effect by using a colored coupler in an amount
more than the amount necessary to cancel the useless absorption thereof.
[0006] However, the use of a colored coupler in an excessive amount increases the minimum
density of a color light-sensitive film to thus make it very difficult to judge how
to correct the color density at the time of making prints, which sometimes results
in the deterioration of the color quality of finished prints. The interimage effect
has the disadvantage that it is difficult to control its direction, so that the hue
is liable to change, although the color purity can be raised. The control of the orientation
of the interimage effect is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,725,529.
[0007] As a proposal for solving the above problem, Japanese Patent Publication Open to
Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP O.P.I.) No. 34541/1986 discloses
a technique for combination of the spectral sensitivity distribution and the interimage
effect.
[0008] The above techniques attempt to improve a color whose hue is hard to be reproduced
in the above-mentioned color film and realize intended results to a certain extent.
Representative one of the attempts is to bring into action not only the individual
interimage effects of the conventional blue-sensitive, green-sensitive and red-sensitive
layers but also the interimage effect from another light-sensitive layer having a
principal wavelength different from those of these color-sensitive layers.
[0009] This technique, although effective to some extent to improve the hue reproducibility
of a specific color, needs an interimage effect-generating layer and a different light-sensitive
silver halide layer in addition to the conventional blue-sensitive, green-sensitive
and red-sensitive layers in order to create the interimage effect, thereby increasing
the amount of silver and the number of manufacturing processes, resulting in a high
production cost. Besides, the effect of the technique cannot be deemed sufficient.
[0010] On the other hand, in order to improve the color reproducibility, it must also be
considered to minimize the variation of the hue in the color reproduction according
to different types of light sources used in photographing.
[0011] Regarding the problem of this kind, attention has conventionally been paid to the
variation of color reproducibility due to changes in the color temperatures of light
sources. To solve this problem, U.S. Patent No. 3,672,898 discloses a proper spectral
sensitivity distribution for reducing the variation of color reproducibility according
to types of light sources in photographing.
[0012] The above technique intends to minimize the variation of color reproducibility through
reducing the changes in the sensitivities of the respective layers according to the
changes in the color temperatures of light sources in photographing by making the
spectral sensitivity distributions of the blue-sensitive and red-sensitive layers
closer to that of the green-sensitive layer. In this instance, however, the three
wave-length regions to which the layers are sensitive are located so near as to cause
the spectral sensitivity distributions to overlap to result in the deterioration of
the color purity. The color purity deterioration can, as is well-known, be prevented
to some extent by enhancing the interimage effect with use of the aforementioned diffusible
DIR coupler.
[0013] However, it has been found that even the combined use of the above techniques can
not give any satisfactory color reproducibility when applied to photographing in a
fluorescent light or under mixed lighting conditions using a fluorescent light and
an electronic flash light. That is, when photographed in a fluorescent light alone,
or even when photographed in an electronic flash light, if influenced by a fluorescent
light, the resulting image appears to be greenish, particularly the flesh color is
reproduced to be lifeless.
[0014] On the other hand, in the recent color light-sensitive materials for photographing
use, as is well-known from the above-mentioned publications, diffusible DIR couplers
are used for the purpose of improving the sharpness of color images by employing the
edge effect and the color reproducibility by the interimage effect. Many of these
diffusible DIR couplers, however, have the disadvantage that the development inhibitor
released therefrom at the time of color developing is diffused from the light-sensitive
material in processing and accumulated in the developer solution, and as a result,
the developer solution shows a development inhibiting effect.
[0015] In the commercially prevalent process for continuously' processing a vast number
of light-sensitive materials, it is difficult to obtain an always consistent gradation,
and the pollution of developer solutions by the development inhibitor released from
diffusible DIR couplers is a serious problem.
[0016] Particularly, the pollution is a matter of the utmost concern in the midst of making
efforts for reducing the replenishing amount of color developer solution from the
emvironmental protection point of view.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-sensitivity color photographic
light-sensitive material capable of giving a true color reproduction to photographing
in a fluorescent light as well as in daylight.
[0018] It is another object of the invention to provide a color photographic light-sensitive
material having an improved color reproducibility, particularly capable of truely
reproducing greenish colors such as bluish-green and yellowish-green colors.
[0019] It is a further object of the invention to provide a color photographic light-sensitive
material which does not pollute a color developer solution and is suitably processable
in a processing method that uses a continuously recycled color developer solution.
[0020] The above objects of the invention are accomplished by a silver halide color photographic
light-sensitive material comprising a support having thereon at least one blue-sensitive
silver halide emulsion layer, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion
layer and at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, in which
[0021] the maximum sensitivity wavelength x
Rmax, the sensitivity to its wavelength S
Rmax and the sensitivity to a light of 610nm S
R610 of said red-sensitive emulsion layer, and the maximum wavelength λ
Gmax, the sensitivity to its wavelength S
Gmax and the sensitivity to a light of 545nm S
G545 of said green-sensitive emulsion layer satisfy the following conditions:
590nm s λRmax ≦ 625nm; SR610 ≧ 0.8 SRmax,
520nm ≦ λGmax 570nm; SG545 0.8 SGmax,
provided that said S
Rmax, S
R610, S
Gmax and S
G545 each are a value of a reciprocal of an exposure amount necessary to form a Dmin +
0.3 density,
[0022] and at least one of layers included in the silver halide color light-sensitive material
contains a development inhibitor releasing compound having a fragment comprised of
a development inhibitor or development inhibitor precursor at the active site thereof,
wherein said fragment is split off from said coupling active site by a color developing
reaction and loses the development inhibiting ability thereof at a rate of a half-life
of not more than 4 hours in a color developer solution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] As for the color reproduction of photographs taken in a mixed lighting from different
light sources, discussions have so far been made mainly on the color temperatures
of light sources used, and a good number of techniques for improving the color reproducibility
of light-sensitive materials have been proposed to date. In recent years, most of
the illuminating lamps for daily life use are replaced by fluorescent lamps, and there
are a lot of color troubles of finished prints that occurred when photographed in
lighting with fluorescent lamps.
[0024] The major point of the trouble is such that the image of a photograph taken at a
place illuminated by fluorescent lamps are excessively greenish, in which the photographed
figures look lifeless. This is because the spectral intensity distribution in the
visible region of a fluorescent light comprises a component having a continuously
smooth curve form and a component having a bright line of a specific wavelength (specific
line), so that the light appears to be white in the eye of a human being, but is sensed
as a green-dominant and less reddish light by a color film. The three-wave fluorescent
lamp, which is lately pervaded for household use, is a light source emitting a light
dominated particularly by the bright line, so that when photographing is made in this
light, the aforestated deviation of color is further increased.
[0025] It has been found by the inventors that where the spectral sensitivity distribution
at a density of the minimum density (Dmin) + 0.3 of the green-sensitive and red-sensitive
layers is formed so as to have the foregoing relations, the above problem can be largely
improved.
[0026] As the preferred embodiment of the invention, in the spectral density S
R(λ) of the red-sensitive layer in the Dmin + 0.3 density, the sensitivity S
R610 at 610nm is preferably not less than 90% of the maximum value S
Rmax of the spectral sensitivity of the red-sensitive layer.
[0027] In order to efficiently obtain a desired spectral sensitivity, it is preferable that
the sensitising dyes to be contained in the green-sensitive and red-sensitive layers
be adsorbed together to silver halide at the time of the chemical sensitization thereof.
[0028] Forming the red-sensitive layer so as to satisfy the spectral sensitivity distribution
of the invention can be carried out by using a properly selected spectral sensitising
dye. For example, at least one of the sensitising dyes represented by the following
Formula I and at least one of the sensitizing dyes represented by the following Formula
III may be used in combination. And the respective at least ones selected from the
sensitizing dyes of Formulas I, II and III may also be used in combination.
[0029] In addition to the sensitizing dyes represented by Formulas I, 11 and III, there
may be used a supersensitizer, examples of which include benzoylthiazoles, quinolines,
and the quinoline derivatives described in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No.
24899/1982.
[0030] The sensitizing dyes represented by Formulas I, II and III are explained:

wherein R
1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
2, R
3, R
4 and R
5 each are an alkyl group or an aryl group; Z
1, Z
2, Z
3 and Z
4 each are a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, an amino
group, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl
group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group, a carbamoyl group,
an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group, provided that Z
1 and Z
2 and/or Z
3 and Z
4 may combine with each other to form a ring; X
⊖1 is an anion; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that n is 1 when the sensitizing
dye forms an intramolecular salt.

wherein R
6 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
7, R
8, R
9 and R
10 each are an alkyl group or an aryl group; Y, and Y
2 each are a nitrogen atom, an oxygen group, a sulfur atom or a selenium atom, provided
that when Y, is a sulfur, oxygen or selenium atom, it is free of the above R
7, and Y
1 and Y
2 can not be nitrogen or sulfur atoms at the same time; Z
5, Z
6, Z
7 and Z
8 each are a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, an amino
group, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl
group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group, a carbamoyl group,
an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group, provided that Z
5 and Z
6 and/or Z
7 and Z
8 each may combine with each other to form a ring; X
⊖2 is an anion; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that when the sensitizing dye
forms an intramolecular salt, n is an integer of 1.

wherein R
11 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
12 and R
13 each are an alkyl group or an aryl group; Y
3 and Y
4 each are a sulfur atom or a selenium atom; Z
9, Z
10, Z
11 and Z
12 each are a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, an amino
group, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl
group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group, a sulfonyl group, a
carbamoyl group, an aryl group, an alkyl group or a cyano group; Z
9 and Z
10 and/or Z
11 and Z
12 may combine with each other to form a ring; X3 is an anion; and n is an integer of
1 or 2, provided that the sensitizing dye form an intramolecular salt, n is an integer
of 1.
[0031] The following are typical examples of the sensitizing dyes represented by Formulas
I, II and III.
[0033] In the invention, forming the green-sensitive layer so as to satisfy the foregoing
spectral sensitivity distribution of the invention may be achieved by using a properly
selected spectral sensitizing dye.
[0034] Representative sensitising dyes and super sensitizers applicable to the green-sensitive
layer of the invention are given below, but are not limited thereto.
[0035] The foregoing sensitizing dyes of Formulas I and II usable for controlling the spectral
sensitivity distribution of the aforementioned red-sensitive layer are also applicable.
[0037] The development inhibitor releasing coupler, hereinafter referred to as DIR compound,
used in the light-sensitive material of the invention is a coupler having a fragment
at the coupling active site thereof, which fragment, when split off from the active
site by a color developing reaction, becomes a development inhibitor or a development
inhibitor precursor, and while when dissolved out in a developer solution, changes
into a compound that does substantial not affect the photographic characteristics
of the light-sensitive material.
[0038] The DIR compound used in the invention is preferably a hydrolysis-type DIR compound
represented by the following Formula V:

wherein Cp represents a coupler residue; Z is the base of a compound capable of acting
as a development inhibitor, which is linked directly (when m is 0) or through a linkage
group T (when m is 1) to the coupling position of the coupler; Y is a group is linked
through L to Z and effects the development inhibiting action of Z, wherein the linkage
group represented by L contains the chemical bond severed in a developer solution;
m is an integer of 0 or 1; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that when n is
2, each of -L-s and -Ys may be either the same or different.
[0039] The compound of Formula V, after the coupling reaction thereof with the oxidation
product of a color developing agent, releases
⊖T-Z(̵L-Y)
n, which has T come off immediately when m is 1 to thereby become eZf L-Y)n. The eZf
L-y)", while acting as a development inhibitor, is diffused into the light-sensitive
layer and partially carried away into the color developer solution. The
⊖Z(̵L-Y)
n that has been carried in the developer solution is quickly decomposed at the chemical
bonding portion contained in L, i.e., the linkage between Z and Y is severed, whereby
the compound of less-development-inhibiting Z with a water-solubilizing group attached
thereto remains in the developer solution, and as a result, the development-inhibiting
action substantially disappears.
[0040] After all, no effective development-inhibiting compound is accumulated in the developer
solution to thus make it possible not only to recycle the solution but also to incorporate
a sufficient amount of a DIR compound into the light-sensitive material.
[0041] Preferred examples of the yellow dye image forming coupler residue represented by
Cp include pivaloylacetanilide coupler residue, benzoylacetanilide coupler residue,
malone-diester coupler residue, malonediamine coupler residue, benzoylmethane coupler
residue, benzothiazolylacetamide coupler residue, malone-ester-monoamide coupler residue,
benzothiazolyl-acetate coupler residue, benzoxazolylacetamide coupler residue, benzoxazolyl-acetate
coupler residue, benzimidazolylacetamide coupler residue and benzimidazolyl-acetate
coupler coupler residues; the coupler residues derived from the heterocyclic-substituted
acetamide or heterocyclic-substituted acetate described in U.S. Patent No.3,841,880;
the coupler residues derived from the acylamides described in U.S. Patent No. 3,770,446,
British Patent No. 1,459,171, West German OLS Patent No. 2,503,099, JP O.P.I. No.
139738/1975, and Research Disclosure 15737; and the heterocyclic coupler residues
described in U.S. Patent No. 4,046,574.
[0042] Preferred examples of the magenta dye image forming coupler residue represented by
Cp include 5-oxo-2-pyrazoline nucleus-having residue, pyrazolo-[1,5-a]-benzimidazole
nucleus-having residue, cyanoac- tophenone coupler residue and pyrazolotriazole nuclues-having
coupler residue.
[0043] Preferred examples of the cyan dye image forming coupler residue represented by Cp
include phenol nucleus-having coupler residue and a-naphthol nucleus-having nucleus.
[0044] Further, even if a coupler is one that does substantially not form a dye after the
coupling reaction thereof with the oxidation product of a color developing reaction
to release a development inhibitor, the effect of the coupler is the same as of the
DIR coupler. The coupler residues of this type represented by Cp are described in
U.S. Patent Nos. 4,052,213, 4,088,491, 3,632,345, 3,958,993 and 3,961,959.
[0045] The preferred residues as Cp are pivaloylacetanilide and benzoylacetanilide yellow
dye image forming coupler residues, 5-oxo-2-pyrazoline nucleus magenta dye image forming
coupler residues, a-naphthol nucleus cyan dye image forming coupler residues and hydrophilic
group-substituted a-naphthol nucleus effluent dye forming coupler residues.
[0046] As the group represented by T there are (1) a group that effects a cleavage reaction
by utilizing an electron-transfer reaction along a conjugated system. (2) a group
that effects a cleavage reaction by utilizing an intramolecular nucleophilic substitution
reaction, (3) a group that utilizes a hemiacetal cleavage reaction, (4) a group that
utilizes an iminoketal cleavage reaction, and (5) a group that utilizes an ester hydrolysis
cleavage reaction.
[0047] Examples of the group of (1) are described in JP O.P.I. Nos. 114946/1981, 154234/1982,
188035/1982, 98728/1983, 160954/1983, 209736/1958, 209737/1983. 209738/1983, 209739/1983,
209740/1983, 86361/1987 and 87958/1987.
[0048] Examples of the group of (2) are described in JP O.P.I. Nos. 56837/1982 and U.S.
Patent No. 4,248,962.
[0049] Examples of the group of (3) are described in JP O.P.I. Nos. 249148/1985 and 249149/1985,
and U.S. Patent No. 4,146,396.
[0050] Examples of the group of (4) are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,546,073.
[0051] And examples of the group of (5) are described in West German OLS Patent No. 2,626,315.
[0052] Preferred among the groups represented by T are the following groups, which are shown
together with Cp and Z(̵L-Y)
n.
[0057] In the above, R
1 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aralkyl
group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an anilino group, an acylamino group,
a ureido group, a cyano group, a nitro group, a sulfonamido group, a sulfamoyl group,
a carbamoyl group, an aryl group, a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a cycloalkyl group,
an alkanesulfonyl group, an arylsulfonyl group or an acyl group; R
2 and R
3 each are a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aralkyl group, a cycloalkyl
group or an aryl group; and n and 1 each are an integer of 1 or 2, provided that when
1 is 2, the R, s may combine with each other to form a heterocyclic ring.
[0058] In these DIR compounds (when m is 1 in Formula V), the split-off group released after
the reaction thereof with the oxidant of a color developing agent is immediately decomposed
to release a development inhibitor H-Z(̵L-Y)
n. Therefore, the effect of the DIR compound having no group represented by T (when
m is 0 in Formula V) is the same as that of the invention.
[0059] As the principal moiety of the development inhibitor represented by Z there are a
divalent nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group and a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic
thio group. Examples of the heterocyclic thio group include a tetrazolylthio group,
a benzothiazolylthio group, a benzimidazolylthio group, a triazolylthio group and
an imidazolylthio group.
[0061] In the above formulas, the substituent represented by X is one contained in the part
of Z in Formula V, and is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl
group, an alkaneamido group, an alkeneamido group, an alkoxy group, a sulfonamido
group or an aryl group.
[0062] The group represented by Y in Formula V is an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an
alkenyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, an aryl group, an aralkyl group or a heterocyclic
group.
[0063] The linkage group represented by L in Formula V contains the chemical linkage cleavable
in a developer solution. Examples of the chemical linkage include the following examples,
which each are cleavable by a nucleophilic reagent such as a hydroxy ion or hydroxylamine,
a component of a color developing agent, so that the effect of the invention can be
obtained.

[0064] The divalent linkage group shown in the above table is linked directly or through
an alkylene group and/or a phenylene group to Z, and directly to Y. Where the linkage
group is linked through an alkylene group or a phenylene group to Z, the intermediary
divalent group moiety may contain an ether linkage, an amido linkage, a carbonyl group,
a thioether linkage, a sulfone group, a sulfonamido linkage or a urea linkage.
[0066] In the above formulas, d is an integer of 0 to 10, preferably 0 to 5; and W
1 is selected from among a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to
10 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkaneamido group having 1 to
10 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 10 carbon
atoms, preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 1 to 10 carbon
atoms, preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkanesulfonamido
group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, an aryl group,
a carbamoyl group, an N-alkylcarbamoyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably
1 to 5 carbon atoms, a nitro group, a cyano group, an arylsulfonamido group, a sulfamoyl
group and an imido group. W
2 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl or alkenyl group;
W
3 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a nitro group, an alkoxy or alkyl group having
1 to 6 carbon atoms; and p is an integer of 0 to 6.
[0067] The alkyl or alkenyl group represented by X or Y is more particularly a straight-chain,
branched-chain or cyclic alkyl or alkenyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably
1 to 5 carbon atoms, and more preferably having a substituent which is selected from
among a halogen atom, a nitro group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an
aryloxy group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkanesulfonyl group having 1 to 4 carbon
atoms, an arylsulfonyl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkaneamido group having
1 to 5 carbon atoms, an anilino group, a benzamido group, a carbamoyl group substituted
with an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a carbamoyl group, a carbamoyl group
substituted with an aryl group having 6 to 10 carbons, an alkylsulfonamido group having
1 to 4 carbon atoms, an arylsulfonamido group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkylthio
group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an arylthio group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, a
phthalimido group, a succinimido group, an imidazolyl group, a 1,2,4-triazolyl group,
a pyrazolyl group, a benzotriazolyl group, a furyl group, a benzothiazolyl group,
an alkylamino group having 1 to 4 carbons, an alkanoyl group having 1 to 4 carbon
atoms, a benzoyl group, an alkanoyloxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a benzoyloxy
group, a perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a cyano group, a tetrazolyl
group, a hydroxy group, a carboxyl group, a mercapto group, sulfo group, an amino
group, an alkylsulfamoyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an arylsulfamoyl group
having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, a morpholino group, an aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon
atoms, a pyrrolidinyl group, a ureido group, a urethane group, an alkoxy-substituted
carbonyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a carbonyl group substituted with an aryloxy
group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, an imidazolyl group, and an alkylideneamino group
having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.
[0068] The alkaneamido or alkeneamido group represented by X is more particularly a straight-chain,
branched-chain or cyclic alkaneamido or alkeneimido group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms,
preferably 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and may have a substituent. The substituent may be
selected from among the previously enumerated substituents for the foregoing alkyl
and alkenyl groups.
[0069] The alkoxy group represented by X is a straight-chain, branched-chain or cyclic alkoxy
group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms and may have a substituent. The substituent may be
selected from among the previously enumerated substituents for the foregoing alkyl
and alkenyl groups.
[0070] The aryl group represented by Y is a phenyl or naphthyl group, which may have a substituent.
The substituent may be selected from among the substituents previously enumerated
for the foregoing alkyl and alkenyl groups and an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon
atoms.
[0071] The heterocyclic group represented by Y is selected from among a diazolyl group such
as 2-imidazolyl and 4-pyrazolyl, a triazolyl group such as 1,2,4-triazole-3-yl, a
thiazolyl group such as 2-benzothiazolyl, an oxazolyl group such as 1,3-oxa-zole-2-yl,
a pyrrolyl group, a pyridyl group, a diazonyl group such as 1,4-diazine-2-yl, a triazinyl
group such as 1,2,4-triazine-5-yl, a furyl group, a diazolinyl group such as imidazoline-2-yl,
a pyrrolinyl group and a thienyl group.
[0073] The development inhibitor from the DIR coupler of the invention is required to have
a given decomposition rate constant. That is, the half life, T

of the development inhibitor at pH 10.0 is required to be not more than 4 hours,
preferably not more than 2 hours, and most preferably not more than 1 hour.
[0074] In the invention, the half life of the development inhibitor or development inhibitor
precursor can be easily measured in accordance with the following method: The development
inhibitor is added so as to have a concentration of 1x10-
4mol per liter to a color developer solution having the following composition, the
solution is maintained at 38° C, and the remaining development inhibitor concentration
is then determined according to liquid chromatography.

[0075] The DIR compounds used in the invention are known compounds, and can be easily synthesized
in accordance with the methods described in JP O.P.I. Nos. 151944/1982, 205150/1983,
218644/1985, 221750/1985, 233650/1985 and 11743/1986.
[0076] These DIR compounds may be added to either light-sensitive emulsion layers or non-light-sensitive
layers. The adding amount thereof is preferably 1x10
-4 mol% to 1x10
-1 mol% of the whole coating weight of silver.
[0077] The DIR compound of Formula V may be added to any one of or two or more of the layers
of the light-sensitive material of the invention, such as the antihalation layer,
intermediate layer between different color-sensitive layers, between the same color-sensitive
layers or between non-light-sensitive layers, light-sensitive silver halide emulsion
layers, yellow filter layer and protective layer. Particularly preferred among these
layers is a green-sensitive emulsion layer to which the DIR compound is to be added.
The light-sensitive material may contain a mixture of two or more kinds of the compound.
[0078] The following are the examples of the DIR compound of the invention, but are not
limited thereto.
[0080] The known photographic additives applicable to the invention are described in the
following Research Disclosure (abbreviated to RD) Nos. 308119, 17463 and 18716.
[0081] Various couplers may be used in the invention. Examples of the couplers applicable
to the invention are described in the above RD Nos. 308119 and 17643.
[0082] The additives used in the invention may be added in accordance with the dispersing
methods described in RD308119 XIV.
[0083] Any one of the materials described in the foregoing RD-17643, p.28; RD18716, p.647-648;
and RD308119, X VII, may be used as the support of the light-sensitive material of
the invention.
[0084] The light-sensitive material of the invention may have auxiliary layers such as the
filter layer and intermediate layer described in the foregoing RD308119.
[0085] The layers of the light-sensitive material of the invention may be formed in various
arrangements such as the normal layer arrangement, inverse layer arrangement and unit
layer arrangement described in the foregoing RD308119 VII-K.
[0086] The invention may be applied to various color light-sensitive materials such as color
negative films for general and movie use, color reversal films for slide and TV use,
color photographic paper, color positive film and color reversal paper.
[0087] The light-sensitive material of the invention may be processed in the usual manner
as described in the foregoing RD-17643, p.28-29; RD18716, p.647; and RD308119, X VII.
EXAMPLES
[0088] In all the following examples, the adding amount of silver halide and colloidal silver
is shown in silver equivalent, that of sensitizing dyes in mols per mol of silver,
and that of other additives in grams per m
2 unless otherwise stated.
Example 1
Layer 6: Second intermediate layer IL-2
Layer 13: First protective layer Pro-1
[0091]

Layer 14: Second protective layer Pro-2
[0092]

[0093] The emulsions used in the above sample are as follows: Em-1
[0094] Comprising monodispersed silver iodobromide grains (relative standard deviation of
the silver iodide contents of the individual grains: 18%) having an average grain
size of 0.35 µm, an average silver iodide content of 6.0 mol% and a core containing
35 mol% silver iodide.
Em-2
[0095] Comprising monodispersed silver iodobromide grains (relative standard deviation of
the silver iodide contents of the individual grains: 19%) having an average grain
size of 0.5 u.m, an average silver iodide content of 6.8 mo%, and a core containing
35 mol% silver iodide.
Em-3
[0096] Comprising monodispersed silver iodobromide grains (relative standard deviation of
the silver iodide contents of the individual grains: 18%) having an average grain
size of 0.65 µm, an average silver iodide content of 8.0 mol% and a core containing
35 mol% silver iodide.
Em-4
[0097] Comprising monodispersed silver iodide grains having twin planes at an aspect ratio
of 3.5, an average grain size of 0.8 u.m, and an average silver iodide content of
8.0 mol%.
[0098] The compounds used in the above sample are as follows:
[0100] In addition to the above compounds, a coating aid Su-1, a dispersing aid Su-2, a
viscosity adjusting agent, hardeners H-1 and H-2, a stabilizer ST-1, and antifoggants
AF-1 having a Mw of 10,000 and AF-2 having a Mw of 1,100,000 were added.
[0102] The average grain size of each of the above emulsions is calculated in terms of a
cube.
[0103] Each emulsion was optimally sensitized by gold-sulfur sensitization.
[0104] Subsequently, Samples 102 to 108 were prepared in the same manner as in Sample 101
except that the sensitizing dyes of Layers 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 of Sample 101 were changed
as shown in Table-1, and further the DIR compound of Layers 5 and 11 of Sample 101
was changed as shown in Table-1.
[0105] The total molar amount of the sensitizing dyes shown in Table-1 is all the same in
each layer. Therefore, the difference between the samples is in the molar ratio of
the sensitizing dyes in combination.
[0106] Each of Samples 101 to 108 thus prepared was subjected to spectral exposure in order
to obtain the spectral sensitivity distribution thereof, and then processed in the
following procedure Processing I. The processed sample was measured for the parameter
to determine the spectral sensitivity distribution thereof based on the reciprocal
of the exposure amount necessary to form a density of Dmin + 0.3.
[0107] The results are shown in Table 1.
[0108] Processing I:

[0109] The compositions of the processing solutions used in the above processing steps are
as follows:
Color developer
[0110]

Bleaching bath
[0111]

Fixing bath
[0112]

Stabilizing bath
[0113]

[0114] The thus obtained samples were each divided into three parts and were subjected to
the following Test-1 to Test 3.
[0115] Test-1: Each light-sensitive material sample was divided into two parts; one was
exposed through an optical wedge to an electronic flash and the other to a triwave
fluorescent lamp light, and they were processed by the above-mentioned Processing
I. From the separately exposed and processed samples their blue, green and red sensitivities
each expressed by the logarithm of an exposure amount (Log E) necessary for forming
a density of Dmin + 0.3 were found for comparison; the difference in the sensitivities
due to the electronic flash (Log E
1) and the sensitivity point due to the triwave fluorescent light (Log E
2), ΔS
B, ΔS
G and ΔS
R, were found, and then the color reproducibility of each sample was judged by calculation
from the equations:
ΔΔSG = ASG - ΔSR
ΔΔSR = ΔSR - ΔSB
[0116] The closer the values of ΔΔS
G and ΔΔS
R are to zero, the closer the color balance of the exposed image to the fluorescent
light is to that to the electronic flash light, which is a good parameter to know
the color inbalance of an actural print.
Test-2:
[0117] Each light-sensitive material sample was used to practically photograph a Macbeth
Color Checker and a portrait by separate lightings with an electronic flash light
and a triwave fluorescent light, and a print from the sample in the case of the fluorescent
lamp lighting was made under the same printing condition as that for giving the same
gray as the gray of the color checker to a print of the sample in the electronic flash
lighting, and the difference in the color reproduction between both prints was judged
visually.
Test-3:
[0118] Each light-sensitive material sample was partly imagewise exposed by using a camera
KONICA FS-1 (manufactured by KONICA Corp.), the remaining part of the sample was exposed
through a step wedge to a white light, and then subjected to continuous processing
in an automatic processor according to the following processing steps Processing II
for evaluating the processing compatibility of the samples. The running processing
was lasted until the time when the amount of stabilizer replenisher comes to three
times the stabilizer tank capacity.
Processing 11
[0119]

[0120] The above stabilization processing was carried out in a three-bath counter-current
system, in which the replenishment was made to the final bath from which the stabilizer
solution is overflowed to the preceding bath.
[0121] The compositions of the processing solutions used in the above are as follows:
Color developer
[0122]

Color developer replenisher
[0123]

Bleaching bath
[0124]

Bleacher replenisher
[0125] Ferric-ammonium 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetate 0.40 mol
[0126] Adjust pH to 3.5 with ammonia water or glacial acetic acid.
[0127] Maintain the pH of the bleacher tank solution in a dis- cretional way.
Fixer bath, fixer replenisher
[0128]

[0129] Adjust pH to 6.5 with glacial acetic acid or ammonia water.
Stabilizer bath, stabilizer replenisher
[0130]

[0131] The maximum absolute gamma difference (| Δγ |) between the y of a sample processed
by the foregoing Processing I and the γ of the same sample processed by the above
Processing II was regarded as the representative characteristic of the processing
compatibility. The transmission densities of the samples were measured with a KONICA
optical densitometer PDA-65, manufactured by KONICA Corporation.
[0132] The results obtained in the above exposure tests 1 to 3 are shown in Table 2.

[0133] As is apparent from Table 2, the samples of the invention, even when applied to photographing
in the fluorescent lamp light, provide truer color reproductions, particularly more
satisfactory bluish green and green color reproductions, and even when subjected to
a continuous low-replenishing-type processing, can provide more stable photographic
characteristics than the comparative samples.
A silver halide color photograpic light-sensitive material comprising a support having
thereon a blue-sensitive silver hlaide emulsion layer, a green-sensitive silver halide
emulsion layer and a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, wherein the maximum
sensitive wavelength of said red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer λ
Rmax, the sensitivity of said red-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of X
Rmax, S
Rmax, the sensitivity of said red-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of 610nm,
S
R610, the maximum sensitive wavelength of said green-sensitive silver halide emulsion
layer λ
Gmax, the sensitivity of said green-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of
λ
Gmax, S
Gmax, and the sensitivity of said green-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength
of 545nm, S
G545, satisfy the following requirements, provided that said S
R610, S
Rmax, S
G545 and S
Gmax are each determined based on a reciprocal of a ligh amount necessary for forming
the optical density of 0.3 on the minimum density of said light-sensitive material
after processing,


and at least one of layers included in said silver hlaide color photographic light-sensitive
material contains a development inhibitor releasing compound having a fragment of
development inhibitor or a fragment of development inhibitor precurser, each of which
is capable of splitting off from said coupling site upon coupling reaction with the
oxidation product of a color developing agent to form a developing inhibitor and said
developing inhibitor loses development inhibiting ability thereof at a rate of a half-life
of not more than 4 hours in a color developer.
The material of claim 1, wherein the relation between SR510 to SRmax is SR510 ≧ 0.9 SRmax.
The material of claim 1, whererin of said development inhibitor releasing coupler
is represented by the following

wherein Cp is a coupler moiety; Z is a moiety of a development inhibitor being bonded
directly or through a linkage group T to the coupling site of said coupler moiety;
Y is a group capable of splitting off from said moiety of Z in said developer so as
to make inactive the moiety Z as development inhibitor; m is an integer of 0 or 1
and n is an integer of 1 or 2.
The material of claim 1, wherein the half-life of the development inhibitor is not
more than 2 hours.
The material of claim 4, wherein the half-life of the development inhibitor is not
more than 1 hours.
The material of claim 1, wherein said red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer contains
a sensitizind dye represented by the following Formula I and a sensitizing dye represented
by the following Formula II:

wherein R, is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
2, R
3, R
4 and R
5 are independently an alkyl group or an aryl group; Z
1, Z
2, Z
3 and Z
4 are independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group,
an amino grop, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy group,
an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group, a
carbamoyl group, an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group,
Z
1 and Z
2 or Z
3 and Z
4 are allowed to bond to form a ring; X
1 ⊖ is an anion; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that n is 1 when the dye forms
an intramolecular salt,

wherein R
6 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
7, R
8, R
9 and R
10 each are independently an alkyl group or an aryl group; Y
1 and Y
2 each are independently a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a selenium
atom, provided that the group represented by R
7 does not exist when Y
1 is a sulfur atom, an oxygen atom or a selenium atom and atoms represented by Y and
Y
2 are not nitrogen atoms or sulfur atoms at the same time; Z
5, Z
6, Z
7 and Z
8 each are independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy
group, an amino grop, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy
group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group,
a carbamoyl group, an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group,
Z
5 and Z
6 or Z
7 and Z
8 are allowed to bond to form a ring; X
2⊖ is an anlon; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that n is 1 when the dye forms
an intramolecular salt.
7. A silver halide color photograpic light-sensitive material comprising a support
having thereon a blue-sensitive silver hlaide emulsion layer, a green-sensitive silver
halide emulsion layer and a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, wherein said
red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer contains a sensitizing dye represented
by the following Formula I and a sensitizing dyerepresented by the following Formula
II and the maximum sensitive wavelength of said red-sensitive silver halide emulsion
layer X
Rmax, the sensitivity of said red-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of λ
Rmax, S
Rmax, the sensitivity of said red-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of 610nm,
S
R610, the maximum sensitive wavelength of said green-sensitive silver halide emulsion
layer λ
Gmax, the sensitivity of said green-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength of
λ
Gmax, S
Gmax, and the sensitivity of said green-sensitive emulsion layer to light of wavelength
of 545nm, S
G545, satisfy the following requirements, provided that said S
R610, S
Rmax, S
G545 and S
Gmax are each determined based on a reciprocal of a ligh amount necessary for forming
the optical density of 0.3 on the minimum density of said light-sensitive material
after processing,


and at least one of layers included in said silver hlaide color photographic light-sensitive
material contains a development inhibitor releasing compound represented by the following
Formula V which has a fragment of development inhibitor or a fragment of development
inhibitor precurser, each of which is capable of splitting off from said coupling
site upon coupling reaction with the oxidation product of a color developing agent
to form a developing inhibitor and said developing inhibitor loses development inhibiting
ability thereof at a rate of a half-life of not more than 1 hours in a color developer,

wherein R
1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
2, R
3, R
4 and R
5 are independently an alkyl group or an aryl group; Z
1, Z
2, Z
3 and Z
4 are independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group,
an amino grop, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy group,
an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group, a
carbamoyl group, an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group,
Z
1 and Z
2 or Z
3 and Z
4 are allowed to bond to form a ring; X
1⊖ is an anion; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that n is 1 when the dye forms
an intramolecular salt,

wherein R
6 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group; R
7, R
8, R
9 and R
10 each are independently an alkyl group or an aryl group; Y
1 and Y
2 each are independently a nitrogen atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a selenium
atom, provided that the group represented by R
7 does not exist when Y
1 is a sulfur atom, an oxygen atom or a selenium atom and atoms represented by Y
1 and Y
2 are not nitrogen atoms or sulfur atoms at the same time; Z
5, Z
6, Z
7 and Z
8 each are independently a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy
group, an amino grop, an acyl group, an acylamino group, an acyloxy group, an aryloxy
group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an aryloxycarbonyl group, an alkoxycarbonylamino group,
a carbamoyl group, an aryl group, an alkyl group, a cyano group or a sulfonyl group,
Z
5 and Z
6 or Z
7 and Z
8 are allowed to bond to form a ring; X
2⊖ is an anion; and n is an integer of 1 or 2, provided that n is 1 when the dye forms
an intramolecular salt,

wherein Cp is a coupler moiety; Z is a moiety of a development inhibitor being bonded
directly or through a linkage group T to the coupling site of said coupler moiety;
Y is a group capable of splitting off from said moiety of Z in said developer so as
to make inactive the moiety Z as development inhibitor; m is an integer of 0 or 1
and n is an integer of 1 or 2.