Patent ID: 7930046

Claim:
A codec comprising: an output module for converting a digital input signal into an analog output signal; a control interface, operatively coupled to the controller module, for receiving a rules enable signal and for selectively enabling or disabling selected ones of a plurality of disconnect rules in response to the rules enable signal, the plurality of disconnect rules comprising a first disconnect rule; a controller module, operatively coupled to the output module, for monitoring a plurality of status conditions and to: when the first disconnect rule is enabled, setting an output mute switch to mute an audio output in response to determining that the first condition is met; when the first disconnect rule is enabled, setting the output mute switch such that the audio output is not muted in response to determining that the first condition is not met; and when the first disconnect rule is disabled, setting the output mute switch such that the audio output is not muted both when the first condition is met and when the first condition is not met.