Slot Machine with Charging Ports for Mobile Phones

Abstract

An apparatus includes a gaming device and an electronic device interface. The gaming device includes a housing having at least one outer surface. The electronic device interface is removeably-secured to the at least one outer surface of the housing. The electronic device interface includes connection hardware directly connected to the external power source.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A gaming device for providing a game of chance, comprising:
 a housing having at least one outer surface at least partially forming a slot sized for receiving an identification card and a cavity for receiving an electronic device,   an electronic device interface disposed in the housing, wherein the electronic device interface is selectively connected directly to an external power source by a switch;   a computing resource including data processing hardware in communication with the switch, wherein the computing resource does not include logic or processing associated with the game of chance, and memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:   connecting to the electronic device at the electronic device interface;   determining that the electronic device interface should be granted access to the external power source based on an occurrence of a qualifying even; and   closing the switch to provide power from the external power source to the electronic device when the computing resource determines that the qualifying event has occurred.   
     
     
         2 . The gaming device according to  claim 1 , wherein the qualifying event is an identification card being removably interfaced with the slot. 
     
     
         3 . The gaming device according to  claim 1 , wherein power is provided from the power source to the electronic device when the electronic device is disposed within the cavity. 
     
     
         4 . The gaming device according to  claim 1 , wherein the qualifying event is a patron of the gaming device having logged a predetermined amount of play time with the gaming device. 
     
     
         5 . The gaming device according to  claim 1 , wherein the qualifying event is a patron of the gaming device having activated an application or software that is running on the electronic device. 
     
     
         6 . The gaming device according to  claim 5 , wherein the qualifying event is a handshake between the application or software that is running on the electronic device and the computing resource. 
     
     
         7 . The gaming device according to  claim 6 , wherein the handshake includes exchanging data using a wireless connection.