Telephone handset with rocker switch directly mounted to a circuit board

A telephone handset comprising:

• a housing having a front surface and side surfaces;
• a circuit board located in said housing;
• a first switch mounted to said circuit board, said first switch including a first resiliently mounted push button arranged such that said first switch is in an operating condition when pressure is applied to said first push button and said first switch is in a non-operating condition when pressure is not applied to said first push button;
• a second switch mounted to said circuit board, said second switch including a second resiliently mounted push button arranged such that said second switch is in an operating condition when pressure is applied to said second push button and said second switch is in a non-operating condition when pressure is not applied to said second push button;
• and
• a rocker member extending through a first one of said side surfaces of said housing and attached to a pivot that is directly attached to said circuit board, whereby said rocker member is aligned to apply pressure to said first push button when manually pushed in a first direction and aligned to apply pressure to said second push button when manually pushed in a second direction.

A method of assembling a telephone handset comprising steps of:

• providing a printed circuit board with two switches and a pivot between the two switches;
• pivotably mounting a rocker member directly onto the printed circuit board on the pivot;
• connecting the printed circuit board to a housing of the handset;
• and
• locating the rocker member in an aperture in the housing such that a portion of the rocker member extends out of the housing,
• wherein the rocker member is located in front of the two switches such that a first one of the switches is mechanically actuated by the rocker member only when the rocker member is moved in a first direction and a second one of the switches is mechanically actuated by the rocker member only when the rocker member is moved in a second direction.