1. A system for enabling power output from a power pedestal, said system comprising:
a number of power pedestals;
a processor;
a user interface device cooperating with said processor to input a time duration to power one of said number of power pedestals; and
an interface to said number of power pedestals, said interface cooperating with said processor and being structured to enable power output from said one of said number of power pedestals for said inputted time duration.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said number of power pedestals is a plurality of power pedestals.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said number of power pedestals is one power pedestal.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said user interface device comprises a display and a user input device; wherein said user input device is structured to input said time duration; and wherein said display is structured to display said inputted time duration.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor comprises a timer and a routine; wherein said routine is structured to initialize said timer with said inputted time duration; wherein said timer is structured to expire after said inputted time duration has elapsed; and wherein said routine is further structured to responsively disable said power output from said one of said number of power pedestals after said timer has expired.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein said routine is further structured to output a signal through said interface to disable said power output from said one of said number of power pedestals responsive to said timer being expired.
7. A system for enabling power output from a power pedestal, said system comprising:
a number of power pedestals;
a card reader structured to receive credit or debit card information from a credit or debit card;
a first interface to another system structured to approve a transaction based upon said credit or debit card information;
a processor cooperating with said card reader and said first interface to initiate and receive approval of said transaction from said another system;
a user interface device cooperating with said processor to input a time duration to power one of said number of power pedestals responsive to said received approval; and
a second interface to said number of power pedestals, said second interface cooperating with said processor and being structured to enable power output from said one of said number of power pedestals for said inputted time duration.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said processor is a first processor; wherein said first interface comprises a network hub communicating with a second processor; and wherein said second processor is structured to verify said credit or debit card information and send a signal back to said first processor through said network hub to confirm said transaction.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein said first processor is structured to cooperate with said second processor to initiate a charge or debit for said transaction.
10. The system of claim 7 wherein said second interface comprises a programmable logic controller including an output; and wherein said one of said number of power pedestals comprises a number of power output receptacles and a contactor, said contactor being structured to enable power output from said one of said number of power pedestals for said inputted time duration responsive to the output of said programmable logic controller.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein said second interface further comprises a network hub communicating with said programmable logic controller.
12. The system of claim 7 wherein said one of said number of power pedestals comprises an indicator structured to indicate when said power output from said one of said number of power pedestals is enabled.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein said one of said number of power pedestals further comprises a light structured to be illuminated regardless whether said one of said number of power pedestals is enabled.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein said user interface device comprises a display and a user input device; and wherein said display and said user input device cooperate to select said one of said number of power pedestals and to confirm that said selected one of said number of power pedestals was enabled.
15. The system of claim 7 wherein said user interface device comprises a display and a user input device; and wherein said display and said user input device cooperate to enable a user to input said time duration and to display said inputted time duration.
16. The system of claim 7 wherein said user interface device comprises a display and a user input device; and wherein said display and said user input device cooperate to enable a user to input said time duration as a number of hours.
17. The system of claim 7 wherein said user interface device comprises a printer and a user input device; wherein said processor is structured to input said time duration from said user input device and responsively send a signal to said printer; and wherein said printer is structured to print a receipt responsive to said signal, said receipt including a charge or debit operatively associated with said transaction, a first time that said one of said number of power pedestals was enabled to output power, and a later second time that said one of said number of power pedestals would be disabled to output power.
18. The system of claim 7 wherein said processor comprises a timer and a routine; wherein said routine is structured to initialize said timer with said inputted time duration; wherein said timer is structured to expire after said inputted time duration has elapsed; and wherein said routine is further structured to responsively disable power output from said one of said number of power pedestals after said timer has expired.
19. The system of claim 18 wherein said routine is further structured to output a signal through said second interface to disable power output from said one of said number of power pedestals responsive to said timer being expired.
20. The system of claim 18 wherein said one of said number of power pedestals comprises an indicator structured to indicate when said power output from said one of said number of power pedestals is enabled and said timer has not expired, said indicator being disabled when said timer has expired.
21. The system of claim 7 wherein said one of said number of power pedestals comprises a pedestal member comprising a base structured to be fixed to a platform, and an enclosure extending from said base.
22. The system of claim 21 wherein said enclosure is a housing extending generally vertically from said base.
23. A method of enabling power output from a power pedestal, said method comprising:
employing a number of power pedestals;
inputting a time duration to power one of said number of power pedestals; and
enabling power output from said one of said number of power pedestals for only said inputted time duration.
24. The method of claim 23 further comprising
receiving credit card or debit card information from a credit card or a debit card, respectively;
approving a transaction based upon said credit card or debit card information; and
charging or debiting said credit card or said debit card, respectively, as a function of said inputted time duration.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A game apparatus for executing a game having a first character and a plurality of second characters appearing therein, comprising:
a controller;
first character movement control programmed logic circuitry for controlling a movement of the first character in a game space based on an operation by the controller, and setting first character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the first character in the game space;
destination coordinates setting programmed logic circuitry for setting a plurality of destination coordinates in the game space with reference to the first character coordinates set by the first character movement control program logic circuitry;
correlating programmed logic circuitry for correlating each of the plurality of second characters with different destination coordinates from among the plurality of destination coordinates;
second character movement control programmed logic circuitry for controlling a movement of each of the plurality of second characters such that each second character moves toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, and setting second character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the second character in the game space;
footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry for storing a history of the first character coordinates set by the first character movement control programmed logic circuitry as footstep coordinates; and
first determination programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not each second character is able to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, and
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates, with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, based on the footstep coordinates having been stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry, instead of moving the second character toward the destination coordinates.
2. The game apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, toward footstep coordinates closest to a current location of the second character, the footstep coordinates being included in the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry.
3. The game apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry stores the footstep coordinates together with time information, and
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry arrives at the footstep coordinates, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry sets footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived to destination footstep coordinates, and moves the second character toward the destination footstep coordinates.
4. The game apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
second determination programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry is able to move toward the destination footstep coordinates specified by the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry, and
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination footstep coordinates toward footstep coordinates other than the destination footstep coordinates specified by the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry, the footstep coordinates being stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived.
5. The game apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates satisfies predetermined requirements, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character toward the destination coordinates.
6. The game apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates is within a predetermined distance from the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character toward the destination coordinates.
7. A computer-readable recording medium for recording a game program causing a computer, which is operably connected to a controller, to execute a game having a first character and a plurality of second characters appearing therein, the game program causing the computer to function as:
first character movement control programmed logic circuitry for controlling a movement of the first character in a game space based on an operation by the controller, and setting first character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the first character in the game space;
destination coordinates setting programmed logic circuitry for setting a plurality of destination coordinates in the game space with reference to the first character coordinates set by the first character movement control programmed logic circuitry;
correlating programmed logic circuitry for correlating each of the plurality of second characters with different destination coordinates from among the plurality of destination coordinates;
second character movement control programmed logic circuitry for controlling a movement of each of the plurality of second characters such that each second character moves toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, and setting second character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the second character in the game space;
footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry for storing a history of the first character coordinates set by the first character movement control programmed logic circuitry as footstep coordinates; and
first determination programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not each second character is able to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, and
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates, with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, based on the footstep coordinates having been stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry, instead of moving the second character toward the destination coordinates.
8. The recording medium according to claim 7,
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry toward footstep coordinates closest to a current location of the second character, the footstep coordinates being included in the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry.
9. The recording medium according to claim 7,
wherein the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry stores the footstep coordinates together with time information, and
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry arrives at the footstep coordinates, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry sets footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived to destination footstep coordinates, and moves the second character toward the destination footstep coordinates.
10. The recording medium according to claim 9,
wherein the game program further causes the computer to function as:
second determination programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry is able to move toward the destination footstep coordinates specified by the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry, and
wherein the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character unable to move toward the destination footstep coordinates toward footstep coordinates other than the destination footstep coordinates specified by the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry, the footstep coordinates being closest to a current location of the second character among the footstep coordinates stored by the footstep coordinate storage programmed logic circuitry after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived.
11. The recording medium according to claim 7,
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates satisfies predetermined requirements, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character toward the destination coordinates.
12. The recording medium according to claim 7,
wherein, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates is within a predetermined distance from the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated by the correlating programmed logic circuitry, the second character movement control programmed logic circuitry moves the second character toward the destination coordinates.
13. A computer implemented method of executing a game having a first character and a plurality of second characters appearing therein, said first character and plurality of second characters for display on a display device, the computer implemented method comprising the steps of:
controlling, via at least one processing device, a movement of the first character in a game space based on a user operation of a controller;
setting first character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the first character in the game space;
setting a plurality of destination coordinates in the game space with reference to the set first character coordinates;
correlating each of the plurality of second characters with different destination coordinates from among the plurality of destination coordinates;
controlling a movement of each of the plurality of second characters such that each second character moves toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated;
setting second character coordinates corresponding to coordinates of the second character in the game space;
storing a history of the set first character coordinates as footstep coordinates;
determining whether each second character is able to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated; and
moving the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated, based on the footstep coordinates that have been stored, instead of moving the second character toward the destination coordinates.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of moving the second character unable to move toward the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated toward footstep coordinates closest to a current location of the second character, the closest footstep coordinates being included in the stored footstep coordinates.
15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
storing time information associated with the footstep coordinates; and,
when the second character moving based on the stored footstep coordinates arrives at the footstep coordinates, setting stored footstep coordinates after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived to destination footstep coordinates and moving the second character toward the destination footstep coordinates.
16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:
determining whether the second character moving based on the stored footstep coordinates is able to move toward the destination footstep coordinates, and
moving the second character unable to move toward the destination footstep coordinates toward footstep coordinates other than the destination footstep coordinates stored after the footstep coordinates at which the second character has arrived.
17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of moving, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates satisfies predetermined requirements, the second character toward the destination coordinates.
18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of moving, when the second character moving based on the footstep coordinates is within a predetermined distance from the destination coordinates with which the second character is correlated, the second character toward the destination coordinates.
19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the destination coordinates for each of the second characters are arranged in a predetermined formation.