Her invention allowed hotel customer to summon a waiter from the comfort of their chair
Miriam Benjamin was a Washington D.C. school teacher and the second black woman to receive a patent. Miriam Benjamin received a patent for an invention she called a Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels. Her invention allowed hotel customer to summon a waiter from the comfort of their chair. A button on the chair would buzz the waiters' station and a light on the chair would let the wait staff know who wanted service. Miriam Benjamin's invention was adapted and used in the United States House of Representatives. Below you can view the actual patent issued to Miriam Benjamin on July 17, 1888.
Alexander Miles
Andrew Beard
Augustus Jackson
Benjamin Banneker
Bessie Blount
David Crosthwait
Dr. Daniel H. Williams
Dr. Vivien T. Thomas
Earl Lucas
Elijah McCoy
Fredrick Jones
Garrett A. Morgan
George Carruthers
George E. Alcorn Jr.
George W. Carver
Granville T. Woods
Henry Blair
Jack Johnson