*A Black woman innovator of the 1960s is responsible for the security system many of us have in our homes and businesses today.
Marie Van Brittan Brown was an American nurse who, in 1966, invented a video home security system to see who was at her front door.
She was able to communicate with them from wherever she was in the house. Her husband Albert was an electronics technician who helped created the security system.
The couple applied for a patent for their pioneering technology, which was granted in 1969. Brown’s innovation has since revolutionized the entire security system industry around the world.
Sadly, Brown never made money from her invention.
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Here’s more from bobvila.com:
One essential part of the system was the peepholes along the front of the door. Each of these peepholes were placed at a different level, making it possible to see children and adults of varying heights. A camera was attached along the inside of the door. It was motorized and able to move up and down between the different peepholes. The camera sent video to a monitor, allowing Brown and others to monitor the front porch from within the house.
If visitors, either expected or unexpected, showed up, Brown could communicate with them via the integrated microphone and speaker. She could easily let in welcome guests by unlocking the door with a remote control. For unwanted guests, Brown could tap a button to send an alert to the local police department.
Brown and her husband filed a patent for their device in 1966, with Marie listed as the lead inventor. The system was ahead of its time and many noted that it would be pretty pricey to install it during her heyday.
The Browns’ home security systems have reportedly been cited in 35 U.S. patents. Video surveillance started popping up in homes around 2005. Marie died in 1999 in her hometown in Jamaica, Queens, New York at age of 76.
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