Line stripper and packing element therefor

Claim 1

A PACKING ELEMENT FOR USE IN A WIRE LINE STRIPPER HAVING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE AND A STOP SHOULDER EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF AND ABOUT SAID PASSAGE AND A PLURALITY OF PACKING ELEMENT ENGAGEMENT MEANS DISPOSED FOR LIMITED LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN THE TUBULAR BODY; SAID MEANS HAVING STOP SHOULDERS, SAID SHOULDERS OF SAID PACKING ELEMENT EXBEING OF A DEFORMABLE SUBSTANCE AND POSITIONABLE IN THE TUBULAR BODY, SAID PACKING ELEMENT HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY PASSAGE FOR RECEIVING A WIRE LINE MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE LONGITUDINALLY PASSAGE OF THE BODY, SAID PACKING ELEMENT HAVING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL PORTIONS OF PROGRESSIVELY SMALLER EXTERNAL DIAMETER PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED EXTERNAL SHOULDERS AND AN END SHOULDER FACING OPPOSITELY FROM SAID EXTERNAL SHOULDERS, SAID SHOULDERS OF SAID PACKING OF SAID PACKING TENDING ABOUT SAID LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE OF SAID PACKING ELEMENT, THE SHOULDERS OF THE PACKING ELEMENT ENGAGEABLE MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID EXTERNAL SHOULDERS OF SAID PACKING ELEMENT AND THE STOP SHOULDER OF THE BODY BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID END SHOULDER OF SAID PACKING ELEMENT WHEN SAID PACKING ELEMENT IS DISPOSED IN THE TUBULAR BODY, WHEREBY LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED OUTER PORTIONS OF SUCCESSIVELY SMALLER DIAMETER OF SAID PACKING ELEMENT ARE DISPLACED RADIALLY INWARDLY BY THE PACKING ELEMENT ENGAGEABLE MEANS UPON LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE PACKING ELEMENT ENGAGEABLE MEANS IN THE TUBULAR BODY TOWARD ITS STOP SHOULDER AS THE PACKING ELEMENT WEARS AT THE AREA OF CONTACT THEREOF WITH A WIRE LINE MOVING THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE THEREOF.