Patent ID: 8789227

Claim:
A system for operating an electric toothbrush in more than one mode of operation during a brushing event, comprising: an electric toothbrush ( 10 ) with a toothbrush body, a brushhead, a motor ( 12 ) for driving the brushhead and a controller ( 16 ) for the motor, the controller being pre-programmed to produce two or more mode/time profiles of operation in which the toothbrush operates in one operational mode for one selected time and then automatically changes to at least one other operational mode for another selected time, different than the first operational mode, during a single brushing event, wherein the selected times for the operational modes add up to the time of a single brushing event; a user interface ( 20 ) operable by a user to initiate the mode/time profile of operation; a single mode control member for selecting a desired mode/time profile of operation from a sequence of said two or more, when the toothbrush is on and when the toothbrush is off; and a visual indication of the sequence of said two or more mode/time profiles and which mode/time profile of operation has been selected.