Marie Van Brittan Brown was the woman who developed the first-ever video system for home security. She paved the way for the technology that people actively use today. To learn more about her groundbreaking invention, read on at queens-future.
Who Was Marie Van Brittan Brown?
Marie was born in Queens on October 30, 1922. Her father was born in Massachusetts and her mother in Pennsylvania; both were African American. Not much is known about her early life. After graduating with honors from a high school in Queens, Marie attended nursing school and became a registered nurse.
In 1940, she married Albert Brown, and the couple had two children. The family lived in a small house located at 151-58 135th Avenue in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens.
It was during this time, while working at a local hospital, that Marie developed the first home security system featuring a motorized camera, remote door unlocking, a two-way intercom, and an alarm button.
The Story Behind the Invention
Marie patented her unique security system in response to the high crime rate in her Jamaica, Queens neighborhood in the 1960s. Her husband, an electronics technician, worked late nights, often leaving her home alone with their children. She feared that her home could be burglarized, endangering her and her family.
One day, she had a brilliant idea: create a security system to combat the high crime levels in their area. Leveraging her husband’s expertise in electrical engineering, she designed a device to monitor their home.
It consisted of five main components: a sliding camera, a television monitor, a speaker, a microphone, and an alarm button. The motorized video camera, installed on the inside of the door, could slide up and down to see a person of any height standing outside. This meant a resident could see who was at the door, even while lying in bed.
The camera was connected to a television monitor inside, displaying the image on the screen. Marie installed a microphone on the outside of the door and a speaker and alarm button on the inside. This allowed the homeowner to speak with the person outside without opening the door. To unlock the door for a visitor, one simply had to press a button on a remote control. In case of danger or a break-in, a large red panic button on the remote could be pressed to trigger an alarm.
Marie Van Brittan Brown filed the patent for her invention on August 1, 1966, making sure to list her husband, Albert, as a co-inventor. The patent was approved four years later and was featured in The New York Times. The publication noted that with her device, a woman home alone could quickly alert neighbors of an attack on her house with the push of a single button.
Legacy and Impact
After receiving the patent, Marie installed the security system in her own home. She then began looking for manufacturers to make the system available to the public.
At this stage, the inventor faced a challenge: the security system was expensive. Not every family could afford to have it installed.
Despite this, Brown’s invention left a lasting legacy, becoming the first closed-circuit security system. Moreover, it led to the creation of many modern security systems that are based on video surveillance and remote door locking. These systems are now standard for offices and homes. More than 40 U.S. patents have cited her patent application. A prime example is Amazon, which referenced Marie’s invention in its patent for “wireless acoustic devices for audio and video recording.”