Patent ID: 7455197

Claim:
A convertible dispenser spout for dispensing either liquid or a foamed mixture of air and liquid, the spout comprising: a chamber forming member defining a chamber therein having an interior, an exit port, an air inlet port adapted to be connected to a source of air above atmospheric pressure, and a liquid inlet port adapted to be connected to a source of liquid above atmospheric pressure, the chamber forming member comprising an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion removably coupled to the inner portion for removal to access the interior of the chamber, the exit port carried on the outer portion, the air inlet port and the liquid inlet port carried on the inner portion, a foam producing member adapted to be removably received in the interior of the chamber across the exit port by being sandwiched between the inner portion and the outer portion when the inner portion and the outer portion are coupled together, the foam producing member being insertable into and removable from the chamber when the inner portion and an outer portion are uncoupled from each other, the foam producing member adapted when the liquid and the air are simultaneously passed therethrough to produce foam, a valve mechanism disposed across the air inlet port adapted to assume either a closed configuration in which the valve mechanism blocks flow through the air inlet port and an open configuration in which the valve mechanism permits flow through the air inlet port, the valve mechanism selected from: (a) a one way valve resiliently biased to assume the closed configuration and which assumes the open configuration when the air at a pressure above the pressure in the chamber is applied to the air inlet port, and (b) a stop member adapted to be removably received in the interior of the chamber across the air inlet port wherein in the closed configuration the stop member is retained in the chamber across the air inlet port by being sandwiched between the inner portion and the outer portion when they are coupled together and in the open configuration the stop member is not present in the chamber, the stop member being insertable into and removable from the chamber when the inner portion and an outer portion are uncoupled from each other.