An electrosurgical instrument, comprising: a housing having a treatment portion attached thereto and defining a chamber therein for containing an activation circuit and a control circuit, the activation circuit being operably coupled to at least one activation element (24a, 24b, 24c) that is activatable to control the delivery of electrosurgical energy from a generator to tissue proximate the treatment portion, the control circuit including: a microprocessor configured to enable bidirectional communication between the electrosurgical instrument and the generator relating to usage information of the electrosurgical instrument, the usage information being selected from the group consisting of serial number of the electrosurgical instrument, instrument type, number of times the electrosurgical instrument has been activated, overall time the electrosurgical instrument has been used, operating parameters of the at least one activation element during each activation, operational status of the treatment portion during each activation, and power settings; a power circuit for supplying power to the microprocessor during periods when electrosurgical instrument is activated characterized in that the control circuit also comprises a charging circuit configured to recharge a chargeable energy device for providing backup power to the control circuit during periods when the electrosurgical instrument is inactivated; the power circuit also provides power to the charging circuit during activation of the electrosurgical instrument. a housing having a treatment portion attached thereto and defining a chamber therein for containing an activation circuit and a control circuit, the activation circuit being operably coupled to at least one activation element (24a, 24b, 24c) that is activatable to control the delivery of electrosurgical energy from a generator to tissue proximate the treatment portion, the control circuit including: a microprocessor configured to enable bidirectional communication between the electrosurgical instrument and the generator relating to usage information of the electrosurgical instrument, the usage information being selected from the group consisting of serial number of the electrosurgical instrument, instrument type, number of times the electrosurgical instrument has been activated, overall time the electrosurgical instrument has been used, operating parameters of the at least one activation element during each activation, operational status of the treatment portion during each activation, and power settings; a power circuit for supplying power to the microprocessor during periods when electrosurgical instrument is activated characterized in that the control circuit also comprises a charging circuit configured to recharge a chargeable energy device for providing backup power to the control circuit during periods when the electrosurgical instrument is inactivated; the power circuit also provides power to the charging circuit during activation of the electrosurgical instrument. a microprocessor configured to enable bidirectional communication between the electrosurgical instrument and the generator relating to usage information of the electrosurgical instrument, the usage information being selected from the group consisting of serial number of the electrosurgical instrument, instrument type, number of times the electrosurgical instrument has been activated, overall time the electrosurgical instrument has been used, operating parameters of the at least one activation element during each activation, operational status of the treatment portion during each activation, and power settings; a power circuit for supplying power to the microprocessor during periods when electrosurgical instrument is activated characterized in that the control circuit also comprises a charging circuit configured to recharge a chargeable energy device for providing backup power to the control circuit during periods when the electrosurgical instrument is inactivated; the power circuit also provides power to the charging circuit during activation of the electrosurgical instrument.