Patent ID: 7457424

Claim:
An electronic volume device remotely controlled by a remote controller, the electronic volume device comprising: means for receiving an i-th common volume level Dcom[i] (i =1 to N) on a common scale of N steps; means for converting received Dcom[i] into a j-th unique volume level Dvol[j] on a unique scale of M steps (M<N); and means for controlling an attenuation factor based on the Dvol[j], wherein the converting means includes: means for storing an offset value Doffset between the Dcom[i] and the Dvol[j]; and means for adjusting at least one of the Dvol[j] and the Doffset such that the received Dcom[i] agrees with a sum of the Dvol[j] and the Doffset, wherein the adjusting means adjusts the Dvol[j] on a higher priority than the Doffset, wherein when the common volume level Dcom[i] is transmitted in a mute state, the saved offset value Doffset is recovered and the unique volume level Dvol[j] is set at a value obtained by subtracting the Doffset from the transmitted Dcom [i].