Patent ID: 8352001

Claim:
A portable electronic device comprising: a first housing with a display section; a second housing with an operation section; a connecting mechanism connecting said first housing and said second housing together so as to allow said first housing and said second housing to be shifted, by a rotating operation, from a closed state, a first open state or a second open state to another state, wherein in the closed state, the operation section of said second housing is covered with said first housing, and in the first open state, said operation section is exposed and a center line of said first housing and a center line of said second housing cross each other, and in the second open state, said operation section is exposed and the center line of said first housing aligns with the center line of the second housing, wherein said connecting mechanism comprises: a first guide groove and a second guide groove formed in said first housing; a third guide groove and a fourth guide groove formed in said second housing; a first shaft penetrating said first guide groove and said third guide groove; and a second shaft penetrating said second guide groove and said fourth guide groove, said first guide groove and said second guide groove are line-symmetric with respect to the center line of said first housing serving as an axis of symmetry, said first guide groove is formed along a circular arc centered around a start point of said second guide groove, said second guide groove is formed along a circular arc centered around a start point of said first guide groove, in said first open state, said third guide groove and said fourth guide groove are line-symmetric with respect to the center line of said first housing serving as an axis of symmetry, said third guide groove is formed along a circular arc centered around a start point of said fourth guide groove, and said fourth guide groove is formed along a circular arc centered around a start point of said third guide groove.