In the late 1960s, Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse who lived in Jamaica, Queens.
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When she got worried about crime in her neighborhood, she decided to do something about it.
Her husband, Albert Brown, was an electronics technician.
The two of them got work.
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In 1969, they submitted an application for a patent for an innovative security system that included a front door camera and a two-way microphone and a speaker that allowed the homeowner to see and communicate with visitors.
It also had a radio-controlled lock and an alarm to alert a nearby security guard.
The government granted the patent in 1969.
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Brown's invention paved the way for the high-tech security systems used today.
She died in 1999 at the age of 76.
Over the years, her invention has been cited in 32 other patent applications.
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