Well bore plugging apparatus

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR PLUGGING A WELL BORE, A PROJECTILE PLUG ASSEMBLY COMPRISED OF AN ELONGATED MEMBER HAVING A NUMBER OF MEANS SPACED SUCCESSIVELY THEREALONG HAVING LATCHING, SEALING, RETAINING AND PACKING FUNCTIONS RESPECTIVELY, AN ELONGATED TUBULAR BODY HAVING SAID PROJECTILE PLUG ASSEMBLY HOUSED THEREIN, SAID MEANS HAVING SAID LATCHING FUNCTION FUNCTIONING TO FIX SAID PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY IN SAID BODY AND ADAPTED IN RESPONSE TO A SIGNAL TO RELEASE SAID PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY, BIASED MEANS IN INTERPOSED RELATIONSHIP TO PORTIONS OF SAID BODY AND ASSEMBLY, A RESERVOIR DEFINED IN SAID BODY AND CLOSED AT ONE END BY SAID MEANS HAVING SAID SEALING FUNCTION, SAID MEANS HAVING SAID PACKING FUNCTION BEING COMPRISED OF COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL NORMALLY RESTRAINED IN A COMPRESSED CYLINDRICAL SHAPE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND IN COEXTENSIVE CONTIGUITY WITH A PORTION OF SAID MEMBER BY SAID BODY, SAID MEANS HAVING SAID RETAINING FUNCTION BEING NORMALLY RESTRAINED AGAINST OUTWARD BIAS AND IN GENERALLY COEXTENSIVE ADJACENCY TO A PORTION OF SAID MEMBER BY SAID BODY, SAID PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY ADAPTED, WHEN RELEASED RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIGNAL, TO BE THROWN FROM SAID BODY BY SAID BIASED MEANS TO THEREBY OPEN SAID RESERVOIR AND ENABLE SAID NORMALLY RESTRAINED MEANS HAVING SAID PACKING AND RETAINING FUNCTIONS TO EXPAND RADIALLY OF SAID MEMBER TO RESPECTIVELY ASSUME A GENERALLY CUP SHAPE AND A GENERALLY RADIAL EXTENDING ATTITUDE WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEMBER, SAID NORMALLY RESTRAINED MEANS WHEN SO RADIALLY EXPANDED IN A BORE HOLE BEING RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED TO ENABLE SAID PROJECTILE ASSEMBLY TO EFFECTIVELY PLUG SAID BORE HOLE AND TO FIX THE SAME THEREIN.