Control Knob For Cooking Appliance

A control knob for a cooking appliance comprising:

• a knob body having one or more protrusions;
• a knob shaft having one or more latching docks;
• a biasing mechanism between the knob body and the knob shaft;
• wherein the knob body is positionable between a first configuration and a second configuration relative to the knob shaft, wherein when in the first configuration the one or more protrusions are disengaged from the one or more latching docks whereby the biasing mechanism urges the knob body and the one or more protrusions in a first direction along a longitudinal axis away from the knob shaft and one or more latching docks, and wherein when in the second configuration the one or more protrusions are engaged to the one or more latching docks whereby the biasing mechanism urges the one or more protrusions in the first direction into engagement with the one or more latching docks;
• and
• when in the second configuration the knob body is configured to push the knob shaft and push and turn actuator in the first direction and rotate the knob shaft and push and turn actuator in at least one rotational direction about the longitudinal axis.

A method of activating one or more heating elements of a cooking appliance comprising the steps of:

• providing a push and turn actuator with a knob shaft connected thereto, wherein the knob shaft includes one or more latching docks;
• providing a control knob having one or more protrusions;
• axially moving the control knob in a second direction along a longitudinal axis away from the push and turn actuator;
• rotating the control knob relative to the knob shaft to engage the one or more protrusions of the control knob to the one or more latching docks of the knob shaft;
• and
• pushing in a first direction opposite to the second direction along the longitudinal axis and rotating the control knob and the knob shaft after rotating the control knob to engage the one or more protrusions to the latching docks to operate the push and turn actuator to a predetermined position representative of a desired output level of one or more heating elements.