dumbwaiter
Also known as dumb waiter
thumb|right|180px|A dumbwaiter also known as a lazy waiter (') 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.
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thumb|right|180px|A dumbwaiter also known as a lazy waiter (') 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.
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. 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, then for the patent on the mechanical dumbwaiter (US Patent No. 361268) on February 17, 1887. He reportedly generated vast royalties from the patents until his death in 1897.