Dumbwaiter

For other uses, see Dumbwaiter (disambiguation).
A dumbwaiter also known as a lazy waiter (Speiseaufzug) in the oldest restaurant in Munich, the Hundskugel, with the hand-pulled cart in the "UP" position and only the rope visible

A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator or lift intended to carry food. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial, public and private buildings, are often connected between multiple floors. When installed in restaurants, schools, hospitals, retirement homes or private homes, they generally terminate in a kitchen.[1][2]

The term seems to have been popularized in the United States in the 1840s, after the model of earlier "dumbwaiters" now known as serving trays and lazy Susans.[3] The mechanical dumbwaiter was invented by George W. Cannon, a New York City inventor. He first filed for the patent of a brake system (US Patent no. 260776) that could be used for a dumbwaiter on January 6, 1883,[4] then for the patent on the mechanical dumbwaiter (US Patent No. 361268) on February 17, 1887.[5] He reportedly generated vast royalties from the patents until his death in 1897.[6]

  1. ^ George R. Strakosch (1998). The Vertical Transport Handbook. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1998. ISBN 0-471-16291-4.
  2. ^ Harry Robert Cullmer and Albert Bauer (1912). Elevator Shaft Construction. New York: W.T. Comstock Company, 1912. p. 30. dumbwaiter. Limited Preview, Google Books, accessed August 26, 2008.
  3. ^ Quinion, Michael. World Wide Words: "Lazy Susan". 24 Apr 2010. Accessed 11 Aug 2013.
  4. ^ United States. Patent Office (1883). American Architect and Architecture, Volume 13. Boston: J. R. Osgood & Company, 1883. p. 11. Limited Preview, Google Books', accessed October 30, 2012.
  5. ^ United States. Patent Office (1887). Official gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 39, Issues 1-4. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887. p. 252. Limited Preview, Google Books, accessed October 30, 2012.
  6. ^ J.H. Beers & Co (1897). Commemorative biographical record of Dutchess County, New York. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1897. p. 258. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2012-10-30., retrieved October 30, 2012.