Patent ID: 8358198

Claim:
A portal device associated with a controlled space, the portal device comprising: a top section having ends; first and second vertical sections each having a top end that is fixedly coupled to the respective ends of the top section, the coupled sections being designed to be placed at a doorway of the controlled space, the coupled sections being designed to form a portal area that a user enters and exits the doorway of the controlled space, at least one of the first or second vertical sections having a computing device that is configured to track a plurality of inventory items stored in the controlled space, the inventory items being assigned a plurality of inventory values based on a plurality of purchase prices of the inventory items, the computing device further configured to track a total value of the inventory items that the user has taken out of the controlled space based on the corresponding inventory values, the computing device further configured to determine whether the user has exceeded an inventory value threshold based on the total value of the inventory items that the user has taken out of the controlled space, the computing device further configured to provide a notification to an administrator upon determining that the user has exceeded the inventory value threshold; and a locking door that engages the top, first and second vertical sections, the locking door being configured to prevent the user from entering and exiting the controlled space, the locking door being coupled to the computing device, the computing device being configured to receive inputs from the user at the portal area and unlock the locking door based on the received inputs from the user.