Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999) was the inventor of the first home security system. A woman so ahead of her time, her innovation wouldn’t make it into households for decades.
Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999) was the inventor of the first home security system. A woman so ahead of her time, her innovation wouldn’t make it into households for decades.
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This month, we’re highlighting innovators - women who helped shape the world we live in today – from inventors to activists.
Today, we’re talking about the inventor of the first home security system – a woman so ahead of her time, that her innovation wouldn’t make it into households for decades. Her invention laid the groundwork for quite literally every iteration of home security systems in use today. Let’s talk about Marie Van Brittan Brown.
Marie was born in Jamaica, Queens, in New York in 1922. She was raised in Queens and would live there all her life. She became a nurse, married Albert Brown, an electronics technician, and had two children.
In her 40s, Marie realized she needed a change. Both she and Albert worked long hours, late into the night. And from 1960 to 1965, the crime rate in their neighborhood had jumped nearly 32 percent. Marie wanted to feel safe in her own home– she wanted a system that would let her know who was at the door whenever she needed, and would let her contact authorities as soon as possible.
So, Marie invented modern home security.
Marie’s system introduced some of the fundamental features of home security that we use today – including video monitoring, remote-controlled door locks, push-button alarm triggers, instant messaging to security providers and police, and two-way voice communication.
To install her system, Marie created four peepholes in the front door: at a variety of heights. That would allow a sliding camera she set up on the opposite side of the door to see visitors, no matter their height.
From there, Marie connected the front door camera to a wireless monitor. She could carry the monitor with her, and therefore see the front door from wherever she was in the house. A microphone allowed Marie to communicate with whoever was outside the door. And finally, Marie could control two buttons from her monitor: a key to unlock the door if the person was a visitor, and an alarm to call the police if they were an intruder.
The system was revolutionary. Up until this point, closed-circuit television had only really been used for military surveillance. Marie’s invention took this technology and brought it into the home.
Marie created the system with the help of Albert’s electronic knowledge. In August 1966, the couple filed the invention for a patent under the title “Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance.” It was approved three years later on December 2, 1969.
Just a few days after receiving the patent, Marie was interviewed by the New York Times and she laid out its potential uses: she said the system would enable a woman alone in the house to alarm the neighborhood immediately, and if it were installed elsewhere, it could help officers prevent holdups and crime.
Despite its innovation and usefulness, Marie didn’t make any money off her invention. This could partly be due to the high cost of installing such systems in other houses during the 70s. Either way– it was the blueprint for the home security system industry we know today: a 4.8 billion dollar business in North America that continues to grow. By 2013, at least 13 other inventors cited Marie’s patent in their own.
Marie was also later recognized and awarded for her work by the National Scientists Committee. She died on February 2, 1999, at age 76.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!