Device and method for carrying out the decentralized production of desired products from different starting materials, and an automated process system

A system for decentralized production of selected products from differing starting materials, comprising:

• at least one decentralized automated process system, which processes the supplied starting materials into a selected product based on formulation data supplied to the process system;
• a central computational device geographically remote from the process system;
• further computational devices geographically remote from the process system and each with associated formulation databases that contain formulation data for a plurality of differing products;
• a data interface associated with the process system, which exchanges data via a communications medium with the central computational device and the further computational devices;
• and
• an input device connected to the data interface, through which a product selection is entered;
• wherein the central computational device is configured to receive the product selection;
• to select at least one of the formulation databases that contains a formulation data set matching the product selection, and to establish a connection between the associated further computational device and the automated process system for transmitting the formulation data contained in the formulation data set of the selected formulation database to the process system via the communications medium and the data interface.

An automated process system, comprising:

• process components configured to process supplied starting materials into a selected product in accordance with formulation data provided to the process components;
• an input device configured to input a product selection;
• and
• a data interface configured to transmit the product selection to a remote central computational device and to receive the formulation data from at least one of the remote central computational device or another remote computational device mediated by the central computational device.

A method for decentralized production of selected products from starting materials in at least one automated process system, comprising:

• transmitting a product selection entered on an input device at a decentralized automated process system to a central computational device geographically remote from the process system via a data interface;
• receiving formulation data supplied either from or by operation of the central computational device via the data interface;
• and
• according to the formulation data, processing the starting materials into the selected product.