Patent ID: 7805145

Claim:
An information search system comprising: a terminal having a speech communication function, a packet communication function, and an information search function that uses a packet communication; a center for selectively performing speech communication and packet communication with said terminal, said center comprising: speech control means for performing speech communication with said terminal using the speech communication function, while the terminal is performing an information search using the information search function using a packet communication; speech recognition means for recognizing a speech signal received by said speech control means and sent from said terminal; information search means for searching for information on the basis of the speech information recognized by said speech recognition means; speech conversion means for converting the speech information of the information searched out by said information search means into a speech signal and outputting the signal to said speech control means, the speech signal from said speech conversion means being transmitted to said terminal by said speech control means; and packet control means for transmitting at least one of image information and character information of the information searched out by said information search means to said terminal by packet communication.