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Sarah E. Goode (b.1850's) was the first African American woman to receive a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Born a slave, she eventually gained her freedom after the American Civil War and moved to Chicago, Illinois. She soon opened a furniture store that was modestly successful. Due to the limited living space of city life that was customary at the time, many of her customers complained about not having enough room to place full size beds in their apartments. This inspired her to design and construct what is known today as the hideaway bed.
Her first model folded into a cabinet that additionally served as a roll-top desk and stationary shelf. The idea was so widely used that Goode applied for and was awarded a patent on July 14, 1885. (Patent #322,177[1], for a cabinet bed). A similar style of bed (patented over thirty years later, in 1916) is the Murphy bed, which is concealed behind a closet door or wall rather than inside a piece of furniture such as a cabinet or desk.

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★ African American Inventors: Sarah E. Goode

★ Sarah E. Goode

★ Sarah Goode and the Hideaway bed