Image-receiving element for adhesively bondable diffusion transfer photograph

A photographic diffusion transfer film unit comprising photosensitive and image-receiving elements adapted to separation after photographic diffusion transfer processing, said film unit comprising, in combination:

• a photosensitive element including at least a silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a diffusion transfer process dye-image providing material;
• an image-receiving element comprising first and second sheet-like support members adhesively bonded to one another by a layer of heat-activatable adhesive material therebetween, the adhesivity of first sheet-like support to said adhesive layer being less than the adhesivity of said second sheet-like support to said adhesive layer and being less than the cohesivity of said adhesive layer, said second sheet-like support member carrying on the side thereof opposed from said adhesive layer at least a water-permeable and dyeable image-receiving layer adapted to receive a photographic dye image by said photographic diffusion transfer processing, said heat-activatable adhesive upon production of a photograph after said separation being adapted by heat lamination to secure adhesion of said photograph to the surface of an information-bearing document;
• and
• an alkaline processing composition adapted to distribution between said photosensitive and image-receiving elements upon photoexposure of said photosensitive element.

A method for applying an adhesively and securely bondable photograph to the surface of an information-bearing document, for the enhancement of the security thereof, which comprises the steps of:

• imagewise exposing a photosensitive element including a support and at least a silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith a diffusion transfer process dye-image providing material;
• superposing said imagewise exposed photosensitive element in face-to-face relation with the image-receiving layer of an image-receiving element, said image-receiving element comprising first and second separable sheet-like support members adhesively bonded to one another by a layer of heat-activatable adhesive therebetween, the adhesivity of said first sheet-like support to said adhesive being less than the adhesivity of said second sheet-like support to said adhesive layer and being less than the cohesivity of said adhesive layer, said second sheet-like support member carrying on the side thereof opposed from said adhesive layer at least said image-receiving layer, said image-receiving layer being a water-permeable and dyeable layer adapted to receive a photographic dye image by diffuson transfer processing;
• applying an aqueous alkaline processing composition between said superposed photosensitive and image-receiving elements;
• separating said superposed photosensitive and image-receiving elements after a predetermined imbibition period and development of said photographic dye image in said image-receiving layer;
• separating said first and second separable sheet-like support members of said image-receiving element, said adhesive layer being preferentially adhered to said second sheet-like support member, thereby to provide an adhesively bondable diffusion transfer photograph comprising said second sheet-like support member carrying said photograph on one side and said adhesive layer on the opposed side thereof;
• and
• adhering said adhesively bondable photograph to said document by contacting said heat-activatable adhesive layer with the surface of said information-bearing document and heat laminating said photograph to said document, thereby to enhance the security of said information-bearing document.