Marie Van Brittan Brown and Albert L. Brown

Marie Van Brittan Brown
Born	(1922-10-30)October 30, 1922 Jamaica, Queens, New York
Died	February 2, 1999(1999-02-02) (aged 76) Jamaica, Queens, New York
Known for	Patenting a home video security system.
Spouse	Albert L. Brown
Children	Norma and Albert Jr.

Albert L. Brown
Known for	Patenting a home video security system.
Spouse	Marie Van Brittan Brown
Children	Norma and Albert Jr.

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.

Early Life and Background

Marie Van Brittan Brown was an African American woman who invented the first home security system and is also credited with the invention of the first closed-circuit television (CCTV). Born in Queens, New York, on October 22, 1922, she lived in the area until her death on February 2, 1999, at the age of seventy-six (Hill, 2016). Her groundbreaking work in home security has had a lasting impact on the development of modern security systems that are still in use today. 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.

Inspiration for the Invention

Brown’s invention was inspired by the growing security risks she faced living in her neighborhood with rising crime rates. Working as a nurse with nontraditional, irregular hours and married to Albert Brown, an electronics technician, Marie's household was particularly vulnerable. The police response time was slow in their area, and she recognized the need for a more effective way to monitor and secure her home (AWIS, 2022). Her invention, filed for patent in 1966, was a direct response to the personal security concerns she faced in her own community (Hill, 2016).

Development of the Home Security System

The security system that Brown developed was the basis for key features in modern security systems today, including two-way communication and surveillance. The original system featured peepholes, a camera, monitors, and a two-way microphone, along with an alarm button to contact the police. Three peepholes were placed at different height levels on the front door to accommodate people of various sizes, including children. A camera positioned on the opposite side of the door could move up and down to align with the peepholes, transmitting images to a wireless monitor inside the house. It also included audio intercommunication equipment, a solenoid-controlled lock, and a radio-controlled alarm to alert security or police (Marie Van Brittan Brown, 1969). The monitor allowed the homeowner to see who was at the door and communicate with them through the two-way microphone.

Functionality and Innovation

If the person outside was perceived to be an intruder, a push-button alarm could notify the police immediately. If the visitor was expected or welcome, the homeowner could unlock the door remotely. This system was revolutionary in offering both security and convenience, laying the foundation for modern video monitoring systems, remote door locks, and instant communication with authorities (Hill, 2016).

Patent

On August 1, 1966, the Browns submitted a patent application for their invention. Their attorneys were Polacheck and Saulsbury, a New York firm. Marie and Albert Brown filed for their patent on August 1, 1966, under the title, “Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance” and their patent was granted on December 2, 1969. Brown’s invention earned her significant recognition, including an award from the National Scientists Committee and an interview with The New York Times on December 6, 1969 (Home security system, 2024).

The invention consisted, at the door, of an electrically controlled lock, several lensed peepholes with covers, a vertically sliding video scanner (camera) and controlling motors, loudspeaker and microphone as well as associated electronics, filters, power supply, radio receiver and transmitter. The camera could be remotely moved from peephole to peephole, mechanically uncovering and recovering them as it went. The camera was connected by radio to a television monitor mounted on a control panel inside the home. The television monitor allowed the occupant to see who was at the door without opening it while the microphones and loudspeakers allowed the occupant to communicate radiophonically with the visitor. A series of filters on the door receiver allowed commands from push buttons on the control panel to be transmitted by radio to control the position of the camera and operate the lock.

The patent also mentions the possibility of forwarding sound or vision to a security center, or recording them. A pushbutton alarm system to contact police or others is also included. The patent cited other inventors, including Edward D. Phinney and Thomas J. Reardon, as well as RCA's Closed Circuit Television Systems, Book I, pp. 182-186, 1958.

The patent was granted December 2, 1969. Four days later, the New York Times reported on the invention in the weekly patents report, including a photo of the Browns. Marie was quoted in the New York Times as saying that with her invention "a woman alone could set off an alarm immediately by pressing a button, or if the system were installed in a doctor's office, it might prevent holdups by drug addicts."

After the patent was approved in 1969, media coverage ceased until much later.

State of technology at the time

The majority of the components of the system were well known. For example US3,480,727, approved a month or so before the Brown patent, describes a wired system with audio, video and lock control, the novel feature being, in this case, the ability to pass all the signals on a single wire. Similarly Harris Hull's patent (US3,440,635) is for a radio press-button alarm which sends a coded signal to alert nearby receivers. AT&T had promoted experimental video for telephony at the 1939 World's Fair, in the mid 1960s public videophone booths were set up in Grand Central Station. Domestic entryway CCTV was limited by price, costing around $1,000 for a system, making it unsuitable for most single dwellings, although many new apartments had such a system, where the cost per unit was less (as they shared the entryway equipment) and was offset by the increased value of the apartments, and hence increased rent, and, in some cases, savings on door staff.

Claim of the patent

The novelty of the patent lies in the combination of the components into a system, and that is what is claimed. Specifically:

1. A security system for protecting the interior of a place of residence having an entrance door, comprising a plurality of windows in the door disposed in vertically spaced array; protective plates covering the windows, respectively; means pivotally supporting said plates on the door to clear each of the windows; a cabinet containing a video scanning device; gear means movably supporting the cabinet to move in a vertical path at the door; motor means in the cabinet engaged with said gear means to drive the video scanning device in said vertical path past the windows while the cabinet pivots each protective plate in turn to clear its associated window for exposing said video scanning device at the cleared window; a video signal transmitter in said cabinet connected to said video scanning device to send a picture of a scanned field in front of each cleared window in turn to a remote location in the interior of said place of residence; radio receiver means in said cabinet; radio transmitter means at said remote location for sending radio signals to said radio receiver; power supply means connected to said motor means for energizing the same to drive the video scanning device up and down; and switch means connected in circuit with said power supply and said radio receiver means for turning on the motor means selectively in response to receipt of a signal from said radio transmitter means, whereby the field in front of each cleared window is scanned in turn.

Response

While they hoped to interest manufacturers and home builders, they did not succeed. The cost of the equipment at that time would have been very high. The Browns proposed to build the system in their home, to increase interest.

Lasting Impact and Legacy

The Brown's patent has been cited in 38 patent applications, as of July 2024. Their invention has been widely cited as an inspirational story. Brown’s system has had a lasting influence, serving as the foundation for many of the features incorporated into modern security systems, such as video surveillance, remote-controlled locks, push-button emergency alarms, and two-way voice communication. As a Black woman in the 1960s, she faced both societal and professional barriers to recognition, yet her work remains a critical milestone in the development of home security systems. Her invention continues to be referenced by inventors today, with her patent influencing as many as thirteen other patents, some as recently as 2013 (Hill, 2016). The system she developed remains in use by homeowners, small businesses, offices, and multi-unit dwellings such as apartments and condominiums. Lastly, Brown was the mother of two children, one of whom, Norma Brown, went on to become a nurse and inventor, continuing the legacy of innovation in her family.

References: Marie Van Brittan Brown. (2022). AWIS. https://awis.org/historical-women/marie-van-brittan-brown/ Hill, Rebecca. (2016, April 11). Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999). Blackpast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/brown-marie-van-brittan-1922-1999/ Marie Van Brittan Brown (1969). Home security system utilizing television surveillance (3,482,037). United States Patent Office. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/d0/0f/f7/5ef6cc1c77139d/US3482037.pdf Home security system (2024). Mit.edu. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/marie-van-brittan-brown

Further reading

• Zierdt-Warshaw, Linda; Winkler, Alan; Bernstein, Leonard (2000). American Women in Technology: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781576070727.