Patent ID: 7097962

Claim:
A photothermographic imaging material comprising a support having thereon light-insensitive organic silver salt grains, photosensitive silver halide grains, a reducing agent for silver ions, a binder and a compound represented by Formula (1): wherein X represents C(V 21 ) or a nitrogen atom, each V 20 and V 21 independently represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent, provided that V 20 and V 21 may form a ring by binding together; each A and A′ independently represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent, provided that at least one of A and A′ represents OH, OR, NH 2 , NHR or NRR′, each R and R′ independently representing a hydrogen atom or a substituent; and A and A′ may form a ring by binding together; and n represents an integer of 0 to 5, and wherein: (a) each one of the photosensitive silver halide grains produces a larger number of latent images in a surface portion of the grain than in an inner portion of the grain by exposure to light; (b) each one of the photosensitive silver halide grains produces a larger number of latent images in the inner portion of the grain than in the surface portion of the grain after being subjected to a thermal development; and (c) a surface photographic speed of each of the photosensitive silver halide grains decreases after being subjected to the thermal development.