Secure inventory access and control mechanism

1. A smart latch attachable to an enclosure of a refrigerator, the smart latch comprising:

an actuator configured to open and close a latch to secure a door of the enclosure;

a communication interface;

a non-transitory machine-readable memory,

a display; and

a processor configured to:

receive a user credential for accessing the enclosure;

validate the user credential for accessing the enclosure;

trigger the actuator to open the latch, thereby allowing the door to be opened;

trigger the actuator to close the latch after detecting that the door is closed, thereby securing the door;

receive a request for a refrigerated item;

determine, from a local inventory in a local cache within the non-transitory machine-readable memory of the smart latch, whether the refrigerated item is in the refrigerator;

identify, from the local inventory in the local cache, responsive to determining that the refrigerated item is not in the refrigerator attached to the smart latch, that the requested refrigerated item is contained in a remote refrigerator attached to a different smart latch, the remote refrigerator and different smart latch being geographically separated from the refrigerator attached to the smart latch and the smart latch;

verify, with the smart latch via the communication interface, that the remote refrigerator still contains the refrigerated item; and

cause an indication of a location of the remote refrigerator and different smart latch to be displayed on the display.

2. The smart latch of claim 1 , wherein the smart latch is attachable to the refrigerator via a mounting plate that bolts to a side of the refrigerator that is opposite to another side of the refrigerator that is proximate to a hinge of the door.

3. The smart latch of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to synchronize a status of the local inventory and a temperature with a remote server via the communication interface.

4. The smart latch of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive, via the communication interface, condition tracking information including inventory and temperature status associated with the refrigerated item stored within the remote refrigerator; and

output, via the display, the inventory and temperature status associated with the refrigerated item stored within the remote refrigerator.

5. The smart latch of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to output a warning to the display when the temperature status exceeds a predefined safe range.

6. The smart latch of claim 1 , wherein the latch is configured to close into a latch plate attached to the door.

7. The smart latch of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: record, within a non-volatile data store, periodic sensor data.

8. The smart latch of claim 7 , wherein the smart latch is operably connected to one or more sensors associated with the enclosure, and wherein the one or sensors include at least one of a temperature sensor, a shock sensor, a vibration sensor, a tamper sensor, and a location sensor.

9. The smart latch of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

open the latch responsive to receiving the user credential satisfying a predetermined privilege level;

determine a temperature status within the enclosure;

determine that the temperature status within the enclosure does not satisfy a threshold range;

increase, responsive to determining that the temperature status within the enclosure does not satisfy the threshold range, the predetermined privilege level from a default privilege level to a higher privilege level;

determine that the user credential satisfies the higher privilege level; and

responsive to determining that the user credential satisfies the higher privilege level, trigger the actuator to open the latch, thereby allowing the door to be opened.