Inventory tracking systems and methods

A method of tracking inventory comprising:

• determining when a moveable portion of a secure enclosure has been opened;
• determining when the moveable portion has been closed;
• and
• when it is determined that the moveable portion has been opened or closed, utilizing a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader to perform an RFID scan of one or more items of merchandise within the secure enclosure to determine inventory information.

An inventory tracking system comprising:

• a backend device;
• and
• a plurality of secure enclosures;
• wherein each secure enclosure comprises a monitored space configured to store one or more items of merchandise, each item of merchandise having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to identify the respective item of merchandise;
• wherein each secure enclosure further comprises a moveable portion configured to move between an opened position and a closed position, the opened position allowing the one or more items of merchandise to be placed into or removed from the monitored space;
• wherein each secure enclosure further comprises a trigger device configured to provide a trigger signal to indicate when the respective moveable portion has moved from the opened position to the closed position;
• and
• wherein each secure enclosure further comprises an RFID reader configured, in response to the trigger signal, to detect the presence of the one or more items of merchandise within the monitored space of the respective secure enclosure;
• and
• wherein each secure enclosure further comprises a communication device configured to send inventory information to the backend device.

An inventory tracking device comprising:

• a secure enclosure having a monitored space defined by a fixed portion and a movable portion, the secure enclosure configured to store one or more items of merchandise in the monitored space, each item of merchandise having a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to identify the respective item of merchandise, wherein the movable portion is configured to move between an opened position and a closed position, the opened position allowing items of merchandise to be placed into or removed from the monitored space;
• an electronic lock configured to lock the movable portion to the fixed portion and to be unlocked with an electronic key;
• and
• an RFID reader configured, in response to the electronic lock being unlocked or locked, to detect the presence of the one or more items of merchandise within the monitored space of the secure enclosure.