Patent ID: 8204612

Claim:
A method for automatically controlling an operating characteristic in a tip-based computer controlled system for a dental delivery device in connection with an operating characteristic source, the dental delivery device comprising a handpiece and a tip, the method comprising: automatically determining the tip; automatically configuring the tip-based computer controlled system, comprising obtaining an operating characteristic control algorithm corresponding to a tip device profile corresponding to the determined tip and one or more operating boundary parameters; during a time period of use of the tip during a dental procedure, detecting at least one of a group of conditions, the group comprising: a power level, a dental site temperature, a dental hygiene material, a fluid type, a proximity to the one or more operating boundary parameters, and an error circumstance determined by a safety feedback loop; automatically determining, based on the operating characteristic control algorithm and the detected at least one of the group of conditions, a desired level of the operating characteristic; and automatically adjusting a current level of the operating characteristic received at the dental delivery device to the desired level via an operating characteristic controller so that the dental device operates in conjunction with the desired level of the operating characteristic during at least a portion of the time period of use of the tip, wherein the operating characteristic controller is coupled to the operating characteristic source and is responsive to instructions from a microprocessor, wherein the method further comprises logging an indication of the determined tip and one or more events associated with the time period of use of the determined tip.