Method and system for portioning workpieces to user-entered shape and other specifications

A system for automatically portioning a food product into one or more final pieces based on an adjustable two-dimensional reference shape and at least one additional physical criteria of the one or more final pieces, comprising:

• a cutter for portioning the food product;
• and
• a processor coupled to the cutter, the processor being associated with a memory and user interface system composed of a user input device and an output device, and controlled by computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:
• (a) prompting a user to enter, using the user input device, an adjustable two-dimensional reference shape into which a food product is to be portioned, the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape being defined by a plurality of specified discrete points located along an outline of the two-dimensional reference shape, each of said discrete points having X and Y coordinate values along an outline of the two-dimensional reference shape in X-Y space as presented in the output device, the outline of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape displayed on an output display;
• (b) permitting a user to optionally edit the user-entered, adjustable two-dimensional reference shape comprising prompting a user to manipulate one or more of the specified discrete points on an outline of the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape as displayed on the user-interface system, the user permitted to use the user input device of the user-interface system to manually move said specified discrete points on the outline of the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape to new locations in X-Y space thereby to change the shape of the two-dimensional reference shape, as and while shown on the output display, said manually manipulating of the user interface system selected from the group consisting of:
• (i) selecting one or more of the specified discrete points located along the outline of the two-dimensional reference shape shown on the output display and using the user input device to manually move the one or more specified discrete points in X-Y space to a new location in X-Y space while shown on the output display, thereby to edit the shape of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape;
• and
• (ii) selecting one or more of the specified discrete points along the outline of the two-dimensional reference shape while shown on the output display and using the user input device to specify new X-Y coordinate values for said one or more specified discrete two-dimensional reference shape points thereby to edit the shape of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape while shown on the output display;
• (c) recording the user-entered and optionally user-edited, two-dimensional reference shape in the memory;
• (d) selecting at least one additional physical criteria for the one or more final pieces in addition to the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape used to portion a food product into one or more final pieces selected from the group consisting of:
• the weight of the final piece;
• the maximum weight of the final piece;
• the minimum weight of the final piece;
• the length of the final piece;
• the maximum length of the final piece;
• the minimum length of the final piece;
• the width of the final piece, the maximum width of the final piece;
• the minimum width of the final piece;
• the height of the final piece;
• the maximum height of the final pieces, the minimum height of the final piece, the thickness of the final piece, the maximum thickness of the final piece;
• the minimum thickness of the final piece;
• (e) determining a cut path to portion the food product into one or more final pieces having the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape as recorded in the memory and as optionally edited by the user and meeting the at least one additional selected physical criteria of the one or more final pieces in addition to the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape used to portion the food product;
• and
• (f) controlling the cutter to portion the food product according to the determined cut path.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for portioning a food product into one or more final pieces based on an adjustable two-dimensional reference shape and at least one additional physical parameter of the one or more final pieces, said instructions which, when loaded onto a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps comprising:

• (a) prompting a user to enter, via a user input device, an adjustable two-dimensional reference shape into which a food product is to be portioned, the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape being defined in terms of a plurality of X and Y coordinate values for specific discrete points along an outline of the two-dimensional reference shape in X-Y space as presented in an output device, the outline of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape displayed on an output display;
• (b) permitting a user to optionally edit the user-entered, adjustable two-dimensional reference shape comprising by allowing a user to manually manipulate the user input device to move at least one of the specified points on the outline of the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape while and as presented in the output device to a new location in X-Y space, to result in a change of the shape of the two-dimensional reference shape while displayed on the output display, said manually manipulating of the user input device selected from the group consisting of:
• (i) selecting one or more of the specified discrete points located along the outline of the two-dimensional reference shape shown on the output display and using the user input device to manually move the one or more specified discrete points in X-Y space to a new location in X-Y space on the output display, thereby to edit the shape of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape while shown on the output display;
• and
• (ii) selecting one or more of the specified discrete points along the outline of the two-dimensional reference shape shown on the output display and using the user input device to specify new X-Y coordinate values for said one or more specified discrete reference shape points thereby to edit the shape of the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape while shown on the output display;
• (c) recording the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape in computer memory;
• (d) selecting at least one additional physical parameter of the one or more final pieces in addition to the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape used to portion a food product into one or more final pieces selected from the group consisting of:
• the weight of the final piece;
• the maximum weight of the final piece;
• the minimum weight of the final piece;
• the length of the final piece;
• the maximum length of the final piece;
• the minimum length of the final piece;
• the width of the final piece, the maximum width of the final piece;
• the minimum width of the final piece;
• the height of the final piece;
• the maximum height of the final pieces, the minimum height of the final piece, the thickness of the final piece, the maximum thickness of the final piece;
• the minimum thickness of the final piece;
• and
• (e) determining a cut path to portion the food product into one or more pieces having the user-entered two-dimensional reference shape as recorded in the memory and as optionally edited by the user and meeting the at least one additional selected physical parameter of the one or more final pieces in addition to the adjustable two-dimensional reference shape used to portion the food product.