Marie Van Brittan Brown: The Inventor of Modern Home Security Systems
Do you have or know someone who has a home security system? Whether it is a Ring, ADT, SimpliSafe, or Vivint, all of them derive from the invention of a woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown. Marie Van Brittan Brown was an African American inventor who is best known for creating the first home security system. Her invention has had a huge impact on how we protect our homes and businesses today. Any security system, whether in homes, businesses, or banks, can be traced back to her invention.
Early Life and Background
Marie Van Brittan Felton Brown was born on October 30, 1922, in Manhattan, New York. Some sources say she was born in 1928. She was raised in Jamaica, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, where she spent her entire life. Her father, Theodore Felton, was born in North Carolina, and her mother, Lillian Robinson, was from Pennsylvania. Both parents were African-American. Marie married Albert L. Brown, also African-American, in 1949. The couple lived at 151-158 and 135th Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, New York.
As an adult, Brown became a nurse and worked nights at a hospital in Jamaica, Queens. Like most nurses, she did not work regular 9-5 hours. She slept during the daytime and was often home alone while her husband, Albert L. Brown, was at work as an electronics technician. Albert was often away many nights for his job. Marie and Albert had two children: Albert Brown Jr. and Norma Brown. Norma followed her mother's path, becoming a nurse and an inventor.
The Need for Security
In the 1960s, Brown grew frustrated with the lack of safety and security at her home. After a rise of crime in her neighborhood, she became concerned about her safety. The crime rate in her neighborhood was quite high. Also, the police often took a long time to arrive when called. She lived in a time when Black women’s access to education was heavily impeded, and their efforts were hardly acknowledged. The idea to build a home system came out of a desire for the safety of their home. One issue that bothered Marie was having to answer the door to identify a visitor.
Although the police responded to emergency calls, their response times were typically slow. She created the security system because her Queens neighborhood required protection from crime, since police took too long to respond.
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Invention of the Home Security System
To counter the increased crime rate in her area, Brown decided to create a surveillance system that would enable her to see anyone outside their home and immediately contact the police. Working with her husband, Albert, the two began devising a home security system. Marie and her husband designed their security system with several key parts. Brown and her husband devised a home surveillance system made up of a motorized camera, a monitor, audio equipment, four peepholes, and two buttons.
The system consisted of a camera that could be mounted near the front door, a monitor inside the home to see who was outside, and a two-way microphone to communicate with visitors. She also included a button to alert the police in case of an emergency.
Soon they had a plan for a motorized camera that was attached to a cabinet added to the door. The camera could move up and down to take views through four separate peep holes. The top spot would reveal the identity of a tall person; the lowest one would show if a child was at the door. The peepholes would be placed in the front door at different heights to accommodate a tall adult, a child, and all heights in between.
A motorized surveillance camera that could move up and down would be attached to the interior of the front door and could be controlled by someone inside the home to allow viewing through the desired peephole. The camera would scan the area outside the front door and transmit images to a video receiver that appeared on the monitor, which would be placed in a cabinet in the Brown’s bedroom. A television monitor was placed in the Browns’ bedroom, and Albert used a radio-controlled wireless system to feed the images seen at the door back to the monitor. These cameras were connected to TV monitors inside her home. This allowed Marie to see exactly who was at her door.
The audio equipment consisted of microphones, speakers, antennas, transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, oscillators, and switches that allowed for two-way communication between people inside and outside the home, as well as for recording conversations. The microphones were also very important. With them, she could talk to the person outside. Again, she did not have to open the door or be face-to-face with them.
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One of the buttons was a radio-controlled alarm that, when pressed, would create a siren to signal an emergency. The other button allowed the door to be locked or unlocked via remote control. The system also featured a series of peepholes, a radio-controlled wireless system and a remote control option to allow locking and unlocking of doors from a safer or more convenient distance. Additional apparatus could be placed at a guard station or other external location to receive an alert when the alarm button was engaged. The recording device allowed for both sound and images to be transmitted to the guard station so a security guard or other individual could monitor what was occurring at the home in the case of an intruder or break-in.
Marie lived in an area with high crime. This invention made her feel much safer inside her home. She no longer had to risk opening the door to see who was there.
Patent Application and Approval
Brown and her husband submitted their invention to the US Patent Office on August 1, 1966. That same year they applied for a patent for their security system. On Aug. 1, 1966, Marie and Albert filed for a patent under the title “Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance”. The patent application was filed on August 1,1966 under the names of Marie Van Brittan Brown and Albert L. Brown. Classified as a door telephone, it was assigned patent number 3,482,037. The patent she and her husband filed in 1966 cited Marie as a lead inventor.
Three drawings submitted with the patent application described it as a home security system utilizing television surveillance and showed each component, their assembly, and the electrical schematics. The written description of the invention cited its objectives: to provide a visual means to scan visitors to the house; to allow for audio communication between people inside and outside the house when the door was shut and locked; to provide a security system for the house that could be controlled by an occupant of the house; and to allow for a signal to alert a watchman, guard, or other person outside the home of an intruder. The description also provided a detailed explanation of the electrical controls, reflecting Albert Brown’s expertise as an electronics technician.
The Browns cited three patents as references on their application: a television system invented by Edward D. Phinney in 1934; an identification system by Thomas J. Reardon in 1956; and a remote operated self-powered observation device including remotely controllable visual scanning means. These patent citations described patented inventions that had any similarity to the Browns’ invention. The Browns’ patent was granted on December 2, 1969. On August 1, 1966, Marie and her husband applied for a patent for their invention. It was the first patent of its kind. Her husband's name was listed on the patent application too. The government officially granted the patent on December 2, 1969. The patent was awarded on Dec. 2, 1969.
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In citing the patents that their application relied upon in order to create the system, the Browns noted only three previous patents: the invention of the television system by Edward D. Phinney (approved February 7, 1939), an identification system created by Thomas J.
Media Coverage and Recognition
There are few media reports or public records about the invention or the Browns after they received a patent for their invention. The New York Times wrote about the Browns’ patent in a December 6, 1969, article titled “Audio-Viewer Screens Callers,” but the media did not publish any follow-up stories indicating whether the Browns installed the system. She was recognized in the New York Times for her work. The Times reported the “audio-video alarm system” could be used to see who was at the door and interview them. For the invention, the National Scientists Committee honored Marie Van Brittan Brown with an award. She also received an award from the National Scientists Committee.
Impact and Legacy
Because Marie Van Brittan Brown was listed first on the patent application, she is often cited as the inventor of the first home security system, even though both she and her husband created it. The security system they created was never commercially produced, but it became the basis for subsequent surveillance and closed-circuit television systems by inventors who used elements of the Browns’ invention in their own designs. Marie Van Brittan Brown's home security system has had a huge impact on security systems everywhere. Her idea was truly groundbreaking. It was her first invention that allowed others to build upon it. This led to the security systems we use today.
The Browns’ invention has inspired many versions of the home security systems we use today and led to more prevalent use of CCTV surveillance in public spaces. As more home security systems became available, Brown's original idea became even more important. Brown's invention continues to help people around the world feel safer.
By 2018, thirty-one patent applications cited the Browns’ patent. Today the Browns’ patent is referenced by 13 subsequent inventors who trace their own creation back to having made use of some aspect of the Browns’ closed-circuit system. The Brown's patent has been cited in 38 patent applications, as of July 2024. The Browns’ patent received 38 patent application citations until July 2024. The security technology field and society continue to benefit from her groundbreaking invention which has become a motivational example for many people.
These inventions include monitoring systems, video and audio security systems, dual camera day/night monitoring apparatus, a remote access system for a vehicle, a visitor sensing device, a track mounted surveillance system with multiple conductors, and a containerized access control unit. for a monitoring system in 1971. More recent patent applications filed between 2011 and 2013 were for technology based on specific aspects of Browns’ system, including a wireless entrance communication device, an intercom set, and a method and system for remote coupling security system control.
Through her home security system invention Marie Van Brittan Brown created the foundation for a security industry that would expand into a multi-billion-dollar market, which transformed residential and commercial security practices. The security industry now operates as a multi-billion-dollar market because of Brown's home security system invention, which revolutionized how people protect their properties. The security system developed by Brown introduced essential security concepts that security technology continues to use today. The video surveillance system with distant communication that Brown developed in 1966 serves as the base for all modern smart home systems. The security system design elements she created for video doorbells and smart locks, and home automation systems now protect millions of households worldwide.
The commercial security industry has accepted Brown's fundamental security system concepts by using them to develop their products. The security industry started using consumer products instead of commercial and industrial systems because Brown worked to develop security systems that were easy to use and accessible to everyone. The security systems we use today, including video intercoms and advanced surveillance systems, derive their concepts from Brown's first design. The system components, which included a camera and monitor, and two-way microphone, and remote door controls, became the foundation that manufacturers used to create new security products throughout multiple decades.
The innovation solved actual community requirements through the combination of different viewpoints, which produced better technological outcomes. The security industry started focusing on residential systems after Brown invented by Brown more than twenty years before the market began to show interest in this area. The patent documentation reveals its influence on future security patent development through its documented citation history.
Brown achieved his technical objective, yet his success led to social effects that surpassed his initial intentions.
The world has started to understand Brown's achievements at a higher level since the beginning of this decade. The Smithsonian Institution, along with other museums, has displayed her work in exhibits that honor African American inventors and women in technology. Digital archives, together with educational resources, now present Brown's story alongside other groundbreaking inventors to teach future generations about her achievements.
The security system she created continues to influence modern discussions about surveillance and privacy and their relationship with technology in society. Through her invention, she created a security system that allowed people to defend themselves, while today we face similar challenges about security versus privacy in our monitored society.
Brown encountered extreme difficulties in the security technology field of the 1960s because she was an African American woman working among white male professionals. The world recognizes her as a leading figure who broke down barriers for underrepresented groups in STEM fields and innovation through her patent achievements and recognition. Educational programs and STEM initiatives use Brown's achievements to motivate girls and minority students toward technology and engineering career paths.
Death and Remembrance
Marie Brown died in Queens on February 2, 1999 at the age of 76. Sadly, Marie Van Brittan Brown passed away before seeing all the new improvements added to her invention. But her impact will never be forgotten. The security technology field and society continue to benefit from her groundbreaking invention which has become a motivational example for many people.
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