Marie van brittan brown security system

African American inventor Marie Van Brittan Brown contributed to a safer society with her invention of the first home security system.  Her invention was the first closed-circuit television security system and paved the way for modern home security systems used today. 

Brown was born in 1922 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She started off her career working as a nurse. Her husband, Albert Brown, was an electronics technician. As a nurse, Brown worked long hours and would return home late at night. Her husband, too, had irregular hours so she was often alone at night. Fearful of being vulnerable in a high crime neighborhood, Brown decided to figure out  a way to see who was at her door if she heard knocking.  

In 1966, Brown, along with the assistance of her husband, invented a security system which consisted of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. These items created a closed-circuit television system for surveillance also known as CCTV. With multiple peepholes, the sliding camera was able to capture images of people who were different heights. The two-way microphones allowed Brown to communicate with the person outside. She also had a remote that would allow her to unlock the door at a safer distance. Lastly, she could press an emergency button that would send an alarm to police or security.  

In 1969, Brown and her husband received a patent for the invention under the U.S. Patent number 3,482,037. Her invention was recognized in The New York Times and she received an award from the National Scientists Committee for her work. 

Brown passed away at the age of 76 in 1999, but her legacy continues.  Brown’s contribution to home security led her

Marie Van Brittan Brown was the inventor of the first home security system. She is also credited with the invention of the first closed circuit television. The patent for the home security system invention was filed in 1966, and it later influenced modern home security systems that are still used today. Brown’s security system was the basis for the two-way communication and surveillance features of modern security. Her original invention was composed of peepholes, a camera, monitors, and a two-way microphone. The final element was an alarm button that could be pressed to contact the police immediately. Three peepholes were placed on the front door at different height levels. The top one was for tall persons, the bottom one was for children, and the middle one was for anyone of average height. At the opposite side of the door a camera was attached with the ability to slide up and down to allow the person to see through each peephole. The camera picked up images that would reflect on the monitor via a wireless system. The monitor could be placed in any part of the house to allow you to see who was at the door. There was also a voice component to enable Brown to speak to the person outside. If the person was perceived to be an intruder, the police would be notified with the push of a button. If the person was a welcome or expected visitor, the door could be unlocked via remote control.

Source: BlackPast.org

A nurse and an engineer known for their invention

Marie Van Brittan Brown (October 30, 1922 – February 2, 1999) was an American nurse, her husband Albert L. Brown, an electronics technician. In 1966 they invented an audio-visual home security system That same year they applied for a patent for their security system. It was granted three years later in 1969.

Family

Marie Van Brittan Brown's father was born in Massachusetts and her mother was from Pennsylvania. Both were African-American. Marie was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York.

Marie married Albert L. Brown, also African-American. The couple lived at 151–158 & 135th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, New York. She had no siblings. Marie and Albert had two children. Their daughter also became a nurse and inventor.

Marie died in Queens on February 2, 1999 aged seventy-six.

Home security system

The crime rate in their neighborhood was very high and the police typically took a lot of time to arrive. This led the Browns to invent their home audio-video security system.

Patent

On August 1, 1966, the Browns submitted a patent application for their invention. Their attorneys were Polacheck and Saulsbury, a New York firm.

The invention consisted, at the door, of an electrically controlled lock, several lensed peepholes with cove

The original home security system was born out of life in a crime-ridden urban neighbourhood in the mid-1960s, as envisioned by its inventor, Marie Van Brittan Brown, an African American nurse living in Queens, New York.

Brown, arguably one of America’s great unheralded innovators, was moved to develop her concept of a home security system by her circumstances. She worked as a nurse and her husband, Albert Brown, was an electrician. They kept different hours, meaning Marie often found herself at home alone in the evenings. Conscious of the high crime rate and sluggish police response times in her neighbourhood, she began to consider ways of protecting herself and her home.

An idea ahead of its time

Marie’s ideas quickly began to solidify into carefully considered home security solutions that could be said to anticipate many of the products that have since emerged. Indeed, the patent that Marie and her husband Albert submitted on 1 August 1966, titled “Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance”, will likely sound rather prescient.

Her home security system comprised four peepholes, a sliding camera, TV monitors and microphones. The camera could move from peephole to peephole and was connected to TV monitors inside the home. Using those TV monitors, the homeowner would be able to see who was at the door, without having to open or physically attend it. Microphones also played a vital part in the system, allowing a vocal exchange with whoever was outside, again without having to open the door and engage in a face-to-face encounter.