An apparatus for orienting identical pieces, comprising at least one tube (2) having a hollow center (2a) for housing and guiding a plurality of said pieces aligned one after another therein, at least one groove (2b) arranged on the internal surface of the tube in such a manner as to open into the hollow center along the length thereof, and stop members (3, 4) situated at the ends of the tube for retaining the pieces, said tube (2) being filled with said pieces comprising rivets arranged in a column, said rivets having heads such that the transverse cross section of the heads correspond to the transverse cross section of the tube and such that the cross sectional area of the heads substantially equals the cross sectional area of the tube excluding the at least on groove. view more

A dispensing apparatus as in claim 1, and wherein said tube (2) includes a plurality of said grooves (2b) arranged about its hollow center.

NA

A process for dispensing identical pieces having a symmetry of revolution about an axis, comprising: providing a tube (2) having a hollow center (2a) and a shape corresponding to the transverse section of the greatest diameter of the pieces for assuring a peripheral guiding of said pieces at the level of this section, arranging the pieces one after another in the interior of the tube (2) with their axes of revolution extending along the longitudinal axis of said tube and feeding one end of said tube with a compressed fluid for assuring the transfer of the pieces toward an open dispensing end (2d) of said tube, admitting the compressed fluid into the one end of the tube behind the piece closest to said one end of the tube and distributing the fluid along the length of the tube through at least one longitudinal passageway (2b) on the internal surface of said tube and opening into the hollow center (2a) thereof for exerting the pressure of the fluid along the hollow center in the spaces (E) between the pieces, to the piece (1P) closest to the dispensing end on which said pressure acts for assuring the transfer toward the dispensing end (2d). view more

A process as in claim 1, and including distributing the compressed fluid along the interior of a plurality of linear grooves (2b) arranged about the hollow center (2a).

A process as in claim 1 and including preliminarily orienting the pieces (1) in the tube (2) with stop members (3, 4) provided at the ends of the tube, and withdrawing the stop member (4) situated at the dispensing end for assuring the dispensing.

NA