U.S. Patent No. 322,177 granted for Cabinet-Bed, marking Goode as a pioneering African American woman inventor.
On July 14, 1885, Sarah E. Goode was granted U.S. Patent No. 322,177 for her revolutionary Cabinet-Bed, a multifunctional piece of furniture that ingeniously converted from a roll-top desk to a bed. This design catered to apartment dwellers facing space constraints, anticipating modern Murphy beds. Importantly, this patent made Goode one of the first African American women to secure a U.S. patent, an achievement of enduring historical significance. Her invention is celebrated as a notable milestone in African American and women's legal history, illustrating the potential for innovation to break racial and gender barriers in a predominantly male-dominated field of invention.