Patent ID: 7189014

Claim:
A process for producing a light amount-adjusting member comprising the steps of: providing a transparent base material and a coloring liquid; and applying the coloring liquid to the base material by ejecting the coloring liquid to the base material to form a colored portion having a specified optical density, wherein the coloring liquid contains at least one coloring material of which maximum absorption wavelength is in a range of from 630 to 750 nm when a solution of the coloring material applied onto the transparent base material is measured, wherein the light amount-adjusting member is a neutral density filter in a visible light range, wherein the at least one coloring material is selected from the group consisting of a compound having a phthalocyanine skeleton represented by general formula (1) and a compound having a cyanine skeleton represented by general formula (2): wherein Y is O or S, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are the same or different independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a linear, branched or cyclic alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a linear or branched hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a sulfone group, a sulfonamide group, a carboxyl group, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a nitro group, an amino group, a phosphono group, a trifluoromethyl group, —NR 6 R 7 , wherein R 6 and R 7 are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, —NHCOCH 3 , —NHCOCH 2 OH, —NHCOC 6 H 5 , a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenoxy group, and a substituted or unsubstituted thiophenoxy group; M is selected from the group consisting of a non-metal, metal, metal oxide or metal halide; X is hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium or organic ammonium; and n is an integer of 1 to 20; and wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are the same or different independently, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, a sulfone group, a carboxyl group, an amino group, —NR 6 R 7 , wherein R 6 and R 7 are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, —NHCOCH 3 , —NHCOCH 2 OH, —NHCOC 6 H 5 and halogen; X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium and organic ammonium and m and p are integers of 1 to 10.