Controlled dispensing system and method

A controlled dispensing system comprising:

• a dispensing fixture including one or more input peripherals, a plurality of controlled products associated with a plurality of product types, and a dispensing mechanism;
• and
• a server system coupled to the dispensing fixture via a communication network;
• wherein the dispensing fixture further includes one or more first processors and memory storing one or more first programs to be executed by the one or more first processors, the one or more first programs including instructions for:
• obtaining via one of the one or more input peripherals a first identifier indicating a product type of a first of the plurality of controlled products;
• obtaining via one of the one or more input peripherals a second identifier associated with a dispensing requester;
• transmitting the first identifier and the second identifier to the server system via the communication network;
• subsequent to the transmitting of the first identifier and the second identifier to the server system, receiving an approval notification from the server system via the communication network;
• and
• in response to receiving the approval notification from the server system, instructing the dispensing mechanism to dispense the first controlled product;
• and
• wherein the server system further includes one or more second processors and memory storing one or more second programs to be executed by the one or more second processors, the one or more second programs including instructions for:
• receiving the first identifier and the second identifier from the dispensing fixture via the communication network;
• obtaining a limit threshold corresponding to a maximum number of products associated with the product type indicated by the first identifier that may be dispensed over a predetermined time period for a dispensing requester associated with the second identifier;
• determining whether approving a dispensing operation associated with the first identifier would violate the limit threshold associated with the second identifier;
• and
• in accordance with a determination that the dispensing operation associated with the first identifier would not violate the limit threshold associated with the second identifier, updating a dispensing history associated with the second identifier and transmitting the approval notification to the dispensing fixture via the communication network.