Patent ID: 7288934

Claim:
An electronic device comprising: a first body; a second body; a connection member located between the first and second bodies, the connection member coupling the second body to the first body to permit the second body to be flipped open/closed and reversibly supporting the second body; a magnet provided within the connection member; a first magnetoresistive effect element provided within the first body and capable of changing electrical resistance thereof under the influence of an external magnetic field, the first magnetoresistive effect element being disposed at a position where the first magnetoresistive effect element approaches the magnet so as to sense the magnetic field from the magnet when the second body is flipped closed over the first body; and a second magnetoresistive effect element provided within the second body and capable of changing electrical resistance thereof under the influence of an external magnetic field, the second magnetoresistive effect element being disposed at a position where the second magnetoresistive effect element approaches the magnet so as to sense the magnetic field from the magnet when the second body is reversed from a normal state or returned from the reversed state to the normal state, wherein the magnet is arranged to apply a horizontal magnetic field in a direction parallel to a film surface of the layered structure of one of the first and second magnetoresistive effect elements when the second body is flipped closed over the first body or when the second body is reversed from the normal state or returned to the normal state.