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Home Security System (Utilizing Television Surveillance)
Marie van Brittan and Albert L. Brown

Inventor
Marie van Brittan and Albert L. Brown
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.
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.
On August 1, 1966, the Browns submitted a patent application for their invention.
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.”
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Home Security System (Utilizing Television Surveillance)
Marie van Brittan and Albert L. Brown

Biography
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.
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.
On August 1, 1966, the Browns submitted a patent application for their invention.
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."
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