Internet shopping system utilizing set top box and voice recognition

In an electronic shopping system including a television set and a remote control unit configured with a microphone, the remote control unit providing input data to a set-top box coupled to the television set, the set-top box comprising:

• a receiver for receiving the input data from the remote control unit, the input data including voice data from the microphone;
• a voice recognizer for converting voice data to character data;
• means for accessing a shopping application program;
• means for providing the input data to a shopping application program for effectuating a purchase;
• and
• an audio-visual output unit coupled to a Web browser for generating an audio-visual display on a display unit in response to the input data.

An electronic shopping system comprising:

• a remote control unit comprising:
• at least two input media for providing input data, the first input medium including a keypad for providing keypad data, and the second input medium including a microphone for providing voice data;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the input media for transmitting the input data;
• a set-top box in communication with the remote control unit, the set-top box comprising:
• a receiver for receiving the input data from the transmitter in the remote control unit;
• means for accessing a shopping application program;
• means for providing the input data to the shopping application program for effectuating a purchase;
• and
• an audio-visual output unit coupled to the Web browser for generating an audio-visual display on a display unit in response to the input data.

An electronic shopping method comprising the steps of:

• accessing a data communications network through a set-top box;
• accessing a shopping application program from the data communications network;
• entering input data through a remote control unit having at least a keypad for entering keypad data and a microphone for entering voice data;
• converting the voice data to character data;
• transmitting the input data from the remote control unit to the shopping application program for effectuating a purchase;
• receiving audio-visual data from the shopping application program in response to the input data;
• and
• displaying the audio-visual data on a display unit.

In an electronic shopping system including a television set and a remote control unit configured with a plurality of input media types, the remote control unit providing input data to a set-top box coupled to the television set, the set-top box comprising:

• a receiver for receiving the input data from the remote control unit, the input data being generated by the plurality of input media types;
• a decoder for decoding the input data into a plurality of individual data sets, each individual data set being associated with a particular input media type, the decoder determining whether further processing is needed for a particular individual data set based on its associated input media type;
• means for accessing a software application program;
• means for providing the input data to the software application program;
• and
• means for receiving an output from the software application program in response to the input data.