Gas knob skirt retainer

A control knob assembly to control an operation of an appliance, comprising a skirt, a knob and a spring disposed therebetween and tending to bias the skirt and the knob axially away from each other;

• said skirt having a side wall surrounding an inwardly extending flange, the side wall having a rear rim which in use will face toward the appliance, the flange having opposing front and rear faces which in use will face away from and toward the appliance, respectively, a plurality of rear projections extending from said rear face and extending proud, and located inwardly, of said rear rim, a first formation extending from said front face and adapted to cooperate with a complementary second formation on said knob, said first formation having a relief recess formed in a rim thereof effective to provide a relief area between said first and second formations to ensure that they do not bind together or hinder axial movement of the knob relative to the skirt;
• said knob having a side wall defining a recess portion adapted to at least partially receive and accommodate relative axial movement of the skirt, said second formation extending from a rear side of said knob and being aligned with said first formation such that one is at least partially received by the other;
• one or both of said skirt and said knob comprising spring retaining means effective to retain the spring thereto and to maintain proper alignment and retention of said spring therewith upon disassembly of the knob from the skirt, said spring retaining means standing proud of a first, chamfered portion having a chamfered surface adapted to be engaged by a terminal end of said spring upon initial assembly of the spring thereto such that said terminal end is caused to expand radially from its natural resting state upon being advanced axially over said chamfered portion, and a second, grooved portion defining a retention groove into which said terminal end becomes received upon advancement beyond said chamfered portion, said retention groove possessing a diameter that is the same or less than the natural diameter of the terminal end of said spring.