Patent ID: 8019096

Claim:
An audio connector port that is coupled to a wired path, comprising: an audio connector; path configuration circuitry coupled to the audio connector that supports communications over a microphone line in the wired path; and a hybrid having an input port, a common port, and an output port, wherein the common port is connected to the microphone line, wherein the path configuration circuitry is selectively configurable between: a unidirectional path state in which analog microphone signals are conveyed over the microphone line without conveying counter-propagating analog audio signals; and a bidirectional path state in which analog microphone signals are conveyed over the microphone line while analog audio signals are simultaneously counter-propagated over the microphone line, wherein the path configuration circuitry comprises switching circuitry that selectively switches the hybrid out of use and into use to respectively switch between the unidirectional path state and the bidirectional path state.