Patent ID: 8561684

Claim:
An apparatus for holding and launching down-hole actuation devices into a well, comprising: a body with a bottom end, a top end and a long bore that extends from the bottom end to the top end, the bottom end formed for connection above a well head to place the long bore in fluid communication with the well head; a first retainer, a second retainer and a third retainer each of the first retainer, the second retainer and the third retainer being extendable into a blocking position in the long bore, and retractable from the blocking position in the long bore, the first and second retainers being spaced apart along the long bore defining there between a first down-hole actuation device retaining space, the second and third retainers being spaced apart along the long bore defining there between a second down-hole actuation device retaining space and a third down-hole actuation device retaining space between the third retainer and the top end; and wherein the first down-hole actuation device retaining space has a first length measured along a long axis of the long bore between the first retainer and the second retainer, the second down-hole actuation device retaining space has a second length measured along the long axis of the long bore between the second retainer and the third retainer, and the third down-hole actuation device retaining space has a third length measured along the long axis of the long bore between the third retainer and the top end, and the first length is shorter than the second length and the second length is shorter than the third length; and wherein the down-hole actuation devices are loadable into the apparatus, the down-hole actuation devices including a first ball, a second ball with a diameter larger than the first ball and a third ball with a diameter larger than the second ball and wherein the third ball diameter is larger than the first length and is un-loadable into the first down-hole actuation device retaining space.