Patent ID: 8238579

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a loudspeaker; an input terminal configured to receive an audio signal; a volume operation module configured to adjust a volume of an audio signal, the audio signal received through the input terminal and output from the loudspeaker, the volume operation module comprising a rotary encoder module detecting a degree of movement of a control member of the volume operation module and a potentiometer module detecting an absolute position of the control member; a first volume controller configured to control the volume of the audio signal, the audio signal received through the input terminal and output from the loudspeaker, based on the degree of movement of the control member detected by the rotary encoder module of the volume operation module; a second volume controller configured to control the volume of the audio signal, the audio signal received through the input terminal and output from the loudspeaker, based on the absolute position of the control member detected by the potentiometer module of the volume operation module; a switch circuit configured to perform switching in order to render one of volume control by the first volume controller and volume control by the second volume controller effective; and a controller configured to control the switch circuit such that the volume control by the first volume controller is rendered effective when the information processing apparatus is in a power-on state in which the information processing apparatus is permitted to perform volume adjustment by software control, and the volume control by the second volume controller is rendered effective when the information processing apparatus is in a power-off state in which the information processing apparatus is inhibited from performing volume adjustment by software control.