BIG BUSINESS USA

Abstract

An entertainment and educational board game which simulates the U.S. economy. The game require participants to play roles such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), President (represents all branches of government), Chairman of The Federal Reserve System, Banker, Venture Capitalist, Pension Fund Manager and Stock Holders. The game includes travel about a playing path generally along the periphery of the board and the simulated purchase by the players of various companies in different business industries and in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. CEOs can conduct activities such as increase Market Share, introduce new products, sell stocks, introduce new technology, Outsource, Downsize, Inversion, obtain bank loans, obtain Venture Capital investment, purchase Government Securities, win Bid Contracts, win No-Bid Contracts, mergers and acquisitions. The President will represent all branches of government (Executive, Legislative &Judicial) and implement fiscal policies, make new laws, and enforce the rules. The Chairman of The Federal Reserve System will implement monetary policies. The Banker will make loans and maintain customer accounts. The Venture Capitalist will invest in businesses. The Pension Fund Manager will manage the Pension Fund. Stock Holders will invest in company stocks. The object of the game is for CEOs to compete to become the most successful (posses the most wealth) at the conclusion of the game. The game will conclude based on one of three options; when players play to a specific time period; when players play to a specific number of years; or when players play to first player to accumulate a certain amount of wealth. The game provides a somewhat realistic simulation of our economy.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to board games, and, more specifically to a board game which simulates the United States economy and the pitfalls of running a successful business.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Despite the popularity of computer games, board games continue to increase in popularity and show no signs of falling into obsolescence. Many board games have been developed to provide entertainment and intellectual challenges to players (e.g. Monopoly, tm), and players continue to seek more challenging and realistic games. Most individuals entering the workforce long for the day when they could start and run their own businesses and become successful entrepreneurs. Hence, the need arise for a board game that gives players the opportunity to act as CEOs and navigate their businesses through the pitfalls of Market Forces to become successful.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,836 issued to Dino A. Foti, on 30 Jun. 1994 describes a board game which simulates travel and financial exchanges between participants in two or more nations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,207 issued to Carlton R. Stanford, Nov. 15, 1993 describes a board game which simulates financial events that a person encounters during the person's lifetime.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,026,082, issued to Darrow, Dec. 31, 1935 describes the popular game of “Monopoly” which is a game of bartering, thus involving trading and bargaining.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,531, issued to Beard, on Dec. 5, 1939, describes a board game in which players encounter various financial transactions, the purpose of the game being for the players to achieve certain pension goals.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,454, issued to Delamontagne, on Nov. 22, 1983, describes a board game which simulates a retail store environment.

U.S. Pat No. 4,856,788, issued to Mario Fischel on Aug. 15, 1989, discloses a Method Of Playing A Game of Economics and Finance.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,181, issued to Barry Howard, on Jan. 30, 1981 discloses a board game which simulate the buying and selling of simulated stocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,059, issued to Reda B. Bouabdallah et al, on Mar. 27, 1991, discloses an apparatus for playing a game having a representation of the European Economic Community thereon. The game is played by making simulated investments in various economic sectors.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,707, issued to john S. Koster, on Jun. 19, 1990, discloses a Stock Market board game which simulates the purchases of stocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,457, issued to Sabah Atieth and Jennifer M. Atieth, Jun. 5, 1984, discloses a Stock Market board game which simulates the purchases of stocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 88/09690, to Johnathan Durr, on Dec. 15, 1988, discloses a board game which simulates the purchase of residential properties.

None of the above noted patents, taken either singularly or in combination, are seen to disclose the specific arrangement of concepts disclosed by the present invention. Accordingly, it is the principal objective of the present invention to provide a board game which simulates the working of the U.S. economy.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention comprises an entertainment and educational board game in which a plurality of players attempt to become the most successful CEO by navigating the economy and avoiding pitfalls to accumulating the most wealth. The entertainment and educational board game includes a playing board having a playing surface on which is illustrated a playing course with a defined path of travel for the players, and is further composed of a plurality of joined playing spaces. In addition, one playing space contains indicia which designates that playing space as the start point at which play of the board game is to commence. The majority of playing spaces contain indicia which denote a business within a specified industry in one of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia. Several playing spaces contain indicia which denote special events such as Market Forces, and Win-A-Contract. One playing space contains indicia which designates that playing space as the point where players could be cited for committing White Collar Crimes. One playing space contains indicia which designates that playing space as the point where players is given the opportunity to implement New Technology. One playing space contains indicia which designates that playing space as the point where players play again. It is an entertainment and educational objective of the present invention to provide a board game to provide players with a friendly and competitive environment to match their business wits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the board game of the present invention;

FIGS. 2(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively, of simulated money for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 3(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of Market Forces cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 4(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Win-A-Contract cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 5(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the White Collar Crimes cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 6(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of New Product cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 7(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Market Share cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 8(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of Title Deed cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 9(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Downsizing Before Outsourcing cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 10(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Outsourcing Before Downsizing cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 11(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Downsizing After Outsourcing cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 12(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Outsourcing After Downsizing cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 13(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Inversion cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 14(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Stock certificates for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 15(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the Dice for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 16(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of Player Icons for use in playing the game of the present invention.

FIGS. 17(A) & (B) are rear and front views, respectively of the New Technology cards for use in playing the game of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFERED EMBODIEMENT

Illustrated in FIGS. 1-17 is a preferred embodiment of an entertainment and educational board game which can be played by a plurality of players, and which is designed to both provide entertainment for the players and enhance their knowledge of managing a business and the workings of the U.S. economy. The board game includes a foldable, playing board FIG. 1 manufactured from a durable and water-resistant cardboard or plastic material. The course FIG. 1 defines a clockwise path of travel which the players take during play of the game, and the course FIG.1 is divided into a plurality of joined playing spaces 1-23 having an oblong shape and each of which contains indicia relating to the actual play of the game and the overall theme of the game. One playing space 1 has the word “START” contained within its borders and this START space 1 designates the playing space on which the play of the game commence. Each player of the game will have a playing piece FIG. 16 which the player advances the board FIG. 1, landing the piece on various spaces 1-23. Each space 1-23 indicates thereon a BUSINESS 2/4/5/6/8/10/11/12/15/16/17/18/19/21/22/23 which can be purchased and managed; a MARKET FORCE 3 which can be encountered in the course of running a business; an opportunity to WIN-A-CONTRACT 7 and earn money; WHITE COLLAR CRIME 14 for which the CEO will be held accountable; FEDERAL PENITENTIARY 13 where the player will spend their jail time; PLAY AGAIN 9 which gives the player two consecutive chances to play; and NEW TECHNOLOGY 20 which gives the players the opportunity to introduce a new technology and increase revenues. The object of the game is to become the most successful CEO by navigating economic pitfalls and accumulating the most wealth at the conclusion of play. The game will conclude based on one of three options; when players play to a specific time period; when players play to a specific number of years; or when players play to the first player to accumulate a certain amount of wealth. The game provides a somewhat realistic simulation of the U.S. economy.

Before providing a discussion of the details of play of the game, the accessories thereto will now be described.

There is provided a supply of play money FIG. 2 of various denominations. The Banker is assigned a specific amount of money at the start of the game to make loans. The President is assigned a specific amount of money FIG. 2 at the start of the game to fulfill its financial obligations of paying employee benefits, pay for social programs, and pay for services (paying for CONTRACTS FIG. 4 and issue NO-BID CONTRACTS). The Federal Reserve Chairman is assigned a specific amount of money FIG. 2 at the start of the game to buy Securities (T-Bills & T-Notes), make loans to the Bank and to support the commitments of the Bank. Each player (CEOs & Stock Holders) rolls the dice FIG. 15, at the start of the game, (except the President, Chairman of the Federal Reserve System, the Banker and Venture Capitalist/Pension Fund Manager), and receives $1,000,000 for every point scored from the Banker. The CEOs will use the money to buy a business, pay fines, pay employee benefits, pay taxes, buy securities and buy stocks in other companies. The Venture Capitalist is assigned a specific amount of money FIG. 2 at the start of the game to invest in businesses as loans or to buy their stocks. The Pension Fund Manager is assigned a specific amount of money FIG. 2 at the start of the game and continues to receive more annual contributions from corporations and the government which he/she uses to invest and grow by buying stocks. The Pension Fund Manager will also make annual transfer of funds from the Pension Fund to the Consumer Fund to simulate payout of employee benefits. The Consumer Fund is assigned a specific amount of money FIG. 2 at the start of the game. These funds are used to pay CEOs $6,000,000 annually for every 25% Market Share FIG. 7 owned per Company. The Foreign Market fund is assigned a specific amount of money at the start of the game. These funds are used to pay CEOs that win foreign contracts.

At the start of the game players who chose to be CEOs and Stock Holders roll the three Dice FIG. 15 and collect $1,000,000 for every point score from the Bank. There can only be up to nine (9) CEOs and ten (10) Stock Holders. The CEO will obtain an icon FIG. 16, that portrait his/her business personality, to represent his/her movements around the board game. Only the CEOs continue to roll the three Dice FIG. 15 and move their icons FIG. 16 around the board game. The CEOs roll the dice and move the number of spaces scored on the three Dice FIG. 15. The CEO with the highest points in the first roll of the dice starts the play then the play moves to the CEO with the next higher points and continues in that order. The CEO Begins play at the START 1 point on the game board and move in the direction indicated by the arrow. If a CEO throws a triple (three identical numbers on the dice) he/she gets to play again.

When a CEO lands on a company space he/she has the opportunity to buy a company 2/4/5/6/8/10/11/12/15/16/17/18/19 /21/22/23, if it is not already owned, for a specified price which he/she then manages throughout the game. If the Company is already owned the CEO will be required to pay the owner a Client Fee, as specified on the Title Deed FIG. 8. Companies are spread throughout the 50 States & the District of Columbia, represents 16 industries (Energy 2, Steel 4, Automotive 5, Technology 6, Marketing 8, Beverage 10, Insurance 11, Entertainment 12, Transportation 15, Telecommunications 16, Financial 17, Construction 18, Defense 19, Medical 21, Legal 22, Office Supplies 23), and companies in the same industry are color coded. In managing the company for success the CEO must pay employee benefits and taxes, sell stocks, invest in other companies by buying their stocks, earn money from buying government securities (T-Bills & T-Notes), increase the Company's Market Share FIGS. 7, introduce New Products FIG. 6, introduce New Technology FIG. 17, Win Contracts FIG. 4, overcome Market Force obstacles FIG. 3, engage in Outsourcing FIGS. 10 & 12, Downsizing FIGS. 9 & 11 and Inversion FIG. 13, seek bank loans, seek Venture Capital investment, and engage in Mergers and Acquisitions. CEOs can file for bankruptcy or sell their corporation(s) if they are unable to meet their financial obligations.

There is provided a set of Title Deeds FIGS. 8 for all 51 Companies. These cards are issued to the CEO when he/she purchase a Company. Possession of the Title Deed card is proof of ownership. The Title Deeds contain a detailed description of the business. It tells the CEO what he/she is allowed to charge other CEOs who land on that Company's space. It also tells the CEO what annual payments he/she has to make (employee benefits and taxes).

There is provided a deck of Market Forces FIG. 3 cards which describe an events that will do any of the following: impact the CEO who draw the card positively or negatively; impact two or more CEOs, positively or negatively; or request the President make certain decisions that positively or negatively impact the economy. When A CEO's icon FIG. 16 land on this space he/she will draw a card, read it out loud, perform the action required, then place the card at the bottom of the deck.

There is provided a deck of Win-A-Contract FIG. 4 cards which offers 1-4 year contracts to CEOs. CEOs are instructed to collect a specified amount of money FIG. 2 from the Foreign Market Fund annually for each year of the contract. When a CEO's icon FIG. 16 land on this space he/she will draw a card, read it out loud, perform the action required, then place the card at the bottom of the deck.

There is provided a deck of White Collar Crimes FIG. 5 cards which cites the CEO for committing a White Collar crime and imposes a Fine or Incarceration, or a combination of both. When a CEO's icon FIG. 16 land on this space he/she will draw a card, read it out loud, perform the action required, then place the card at the bottom of the deck. A CEO who receive incarceration will move his/her icon FIG. 16 to the FEDERAL PENITENTIARY space 13 on the game board and stay there until incarceration ends. CEO's convicted of a crime can appeal to the President for Reprieve or a Pardon, or make an appeal to have the case overturn on appeal.

There is provided New Products FIG. 6 cards which is issued to CEOs by the President after they pay $1,000,000 to the Consumer Fund to introduce a new product. CEOs can introduce a New Product FIG. 6 once per company per year, when it is their turn to roll the Dice FIG. 15. They can introduce up to a total of four (4) New Products. The New Product card FIG. 6 should be placed on the NEW PRODUCT place holder 27 for the respective Company on the game board. For every New Product introduced CEOs can collect an additional $500,000 from every CEO that land on the respective Company's space.

There is provided a set of Market Share FIG. 7 cards which is issued to CEOs after they pay $1,000,000 to the Consumer Fund, to indicate their level of Market Share FIG. 7 ownership for each company. CEOs can only increase their Market Share at 25% FIG. 7 per Company, annually, for a total of 100%. The Market Share card FIG. 7 should be placed on the MARKET SHARE place holder 28 for the respective Company on the game board. For every 25% FIG. 7 Market Share introduced CEOs can collect an additional $6,0000,000 from Consumer Fund, annually.

There is provided a Downsizing Before Outsourcing FIG. 9 and Downsizing After Outsourcing FIG. 11 card for every Company. A CEO can chose to downsize his/her company by laying off 10% of his employees and thereby achieve overhead cost savings of 10%. The CEO must decide whether to Downsize before Outsourcing FIG. 9 or whether to Downsize after Outsourcing FIG. 11. The CEO cannot perform A Downsizing and an Outsourcing action in the same year. When a CEO elects to Downsize he/she request the appropriate Downsizing card from the President and follow the instructions on the card for payments (employee benefits, taxes) requirements. The payment requirements listed on the TITLE Deed FIG. 8 will not longer be in effect.

There is provided an Outsourcing Before Downsizing FIGS. 10 and an Outsourcing After Downsizing FIG. 12 card for every Company. A CEO can chose to Outsource his/her company by laying off 20% of his employees and thereby achieve overhead cost savings of 20%. The CEO must decide whether to Outsource before Downsizing FIG. 10 or whether to Outsource after Downsizing FIG. 12. The CEO cannot perform A Outsourcing and Downsizing action in the same year. When a CEO elects to Downsize he/she request the appropriate Outsourcing card from the President and follow the instructions on the card for payments (employee benefits, taxes) requirements. The payment requirements listed on the TITLE Deed will not longer be in effect.

There is provided an INVERSION card FIG. 13 for every Company. A CEO can chose to move his/her Company's Headquarter overseas to avoid taxes. This move allows the CEO to reduce Corporate Taxes by 50%. The CEO cannot perform an Outsourcing, Downsizing and Inversion action in the same year. When a CEO elects to Invert he/she request the INVERSION card FIG. 13 from the President, pay an initial fee of $3,000,000 to the Consumer Fund and follow the instructions on the card for a 50% reduction in payment of Corporate Taxes. The CEO will be required to pay an annual fee to the Foreign Market Fund for the privilege of Inversion.

There is provided a set of ten (10) Stock Certificates FIG. 14 for each Company. Each Stock Certificate represents 100,000 Shares. CEOs can sell up to 1,000,000 shares for every Company they own. CEOs will set the initial offering price and determine how many stocks will be sold in the initial offering. Secondary offering of shares will be sold at the current market price. When the CEO gets ready to sell stocks he/she first gets permission from the President. When the CEO wants to make a secondary offering of shares he/she must take a vote of current Stock Holders and get permission from the President. The CEO will obtain the Stock Certificates FIG. 14 from the President and offer them to the buyers as proof of ownership. CEOs must hold an annual meeting of Stock Holders to vote on who should act as Chairman to run the day to day business of the company. Majority Vote wins. A Stock Holder can be elected to be a CEO.

There is provided a set of nine (9) Player Icons FIG. 16 which represents nine different CEO personalities. CEO's should select the one that best depicts their business personality and use them to represent their movement around the game board FIG. 1.

There is provided a set of NEW TECHNOLOGY cards FIGS. 17 which is used to represent the introduction of New Technology. When a CEO's icon land on the NEW TECHNOLOGY space he/she is given the opportunity to introduce a New Technology once every five years. If he/she elects to introduce the NEW TECHNOLOGY FIG. 17, he/she will contribute $1,000,000 to each of the Technology Companies CEOs and obtain a New Technology card from the President. After purchasing a New Technology the CEO must wait until the start of the next year before he/she can achieving a savings of $1,000,000 annually. Introduction of a New Technology allows the CEO to reduce payment (employee benefits) to the Consumer Fund by $1,000,000 annually.

The role of the President is to represent all branches of government (Executive, Legislative and Judicial). In that capacity the President can raise and lower taxes, increase or decrease spending, sell securities (T-Bills & T-Notes) to raise money, maintain a budget which starts at $150,000,000, implement new rules, appoint the Chairman of the Federal Reserves, impose and lift embargos, grant Reprieve, Pardons, and reduce or overturn a sentence. New rules can be implemented with a majority vote from all players. The President's ruling is final regarding any disputes in the game.

One individual will play the role of Chairman of the Federal Reserve System/Venture Capitalist/Pension Fund Manager/Consumer Fund Manager/and Foreign Market Fund Manager. As Chairman of the Federal Reserve he/she will control the money supply by setting the Discount Rate (interest rate charge to banks for borrowing money from the Federal Reserve System), and buy and sell securities (T-Bills & T-Notes). As Venture Capitalist he/she will use a set amount of money to make investment by providing loans to CEOs or by buying company stocks. As the Pension Fund Manager he/she will collect Pension Fund payments and invest them in company stocks and make an annual transfer of funds to the Consumer Fund. As the Consumer Fund Manager he/she will make and collect payments to and from the Consumer Fund. As the Foreign Market Fund Manager he/she will make and collect payments to and from the Foreign Market Fund.

One person will act as the Banker who is responsible for making loans to CEOs and Stock Holders. The Banker will set the Prime Rate (interest on loans to corporations) at least two (2) points above the Discount Rate set by the Chairman of the Federal Reserve throughout the game. The Banker will make loans to CEOs and Stock Holders in the amount of $1,000,000 to $50,000,000 for a period of 1-10 years. The Banker will also set a interest rate for customers who deposit money to the bank.

There can be up to ten (10) Stock Holders in the game. Stock Holders use their money to invest in Company stocks. They can become a CEO if elected to become one by a majority of stock holders of a particular company.

Claims

1. A method of playing a financial board game by a plurality of players comprising the steps of:

Providing a game board having a path thereon to be serially traversed;

The playing course including a plurality of joined playing spaces;

Providing a starting point at one of the indicia, at which a player begins the game;

Providing playing icons for each player;

A plurality of Title Deed cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Downsizing Before Outsourcing cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Downsizing After Outsourcing cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Outsourcing Before Downsizing cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Outsourcing After Downsizing cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Inversion cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of New Product cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Market Share Cards corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of Stock Certificates corresponding to said playing spaces simulating corporations;

A plurality of New Technology cards simulating the introduction of a new technology;

A plurality of indicia that serves as place holders for Market Forces cards, White Collar Crimes Cards and Win-A-Contract cards;

A plurality of indicia that serves as place holders for Market Share and New Product cards.

2. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player landing thereon can be subjected to imprisonment or fine or both.

3. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player landing thereon can be subjected to positive or negative economic forces resulting in the surrender of gains, (financial or otherwise), or the financial benefits.

4. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player landing thereon can be awarded a contract for a single or multiple years.

5. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player landing thereon is granted the opportunity to play again.

6. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player landing thereon can introduce a New Technology.

7. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player traversing thereon must make outstanding annual payments.

8. The board game of claim 1 wherein at least one playing space of the playing course includes indicia directing that the player serve a sentence after being convicted of a crime and sentence to a jail term.