Patent #81,437 was issued to Franz Vester on August 25, 1868 for an Improved Burial Case.
This coffin was designed so that a person who was buried alive could escape. Vester’s invention included a square tube that extended above the gravesite allowing air inside the coffin. This tube had a ladder and a way for above-ground onlookers to peek inside the coffin below. A bell and cord inside could be used by the occupant to let everyone know he was still alive.