Method and apparatus for accessing a wide area network

1. A voice web browser system comprising:

a telephone;

an access system coupled to a TCP/IP network, said TCP/IP network comprising a plurality of nodes, said TCP/IP network providing access to web pages stored on computer systems coupled to said TCP/IP network, said web pages, comprising HTML code that can be transmitted via TCP/IP packets to said access system over said TCP/IP network, said access system being able to receive said TCP/IP packets and to parse said HTML code into text and non-text portions, said access system utilizing the functionality of a customized web browser which is customized by a plug-in to navigate among said web pages;

a telephone system coupling said telephone to said access system for interactive communication with said access system; and

a text-to-speech system associated with said access system for reading at least some of said text to a user of said telephone.

2. A voice web browser system as recited in claim 1 wherein said telephone is a touch-tone telephone, and wherein said access system can be provided with commands in the form of DTMF signals.

3. A voice web browser system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a speech recognition system responsive to spoken commands from said telephone user and operative to provide operational commands to said access system.

4. A voice web browser system as recited in claim 1 wherein said access system consists of a unitary computer system.

5. A voice web browser system as recited in claim 1 wherein said access system comprises an interface computer system coupled to said telephone user by said telephone system, and a server system coupling said interface computer system to said TCP/IP network.

6. A voice web browser as recited in claim 1 wherein said access system is responsive to commands from said telephone user for navigating both within a web page and between web pages of said TCP/IP network.

7. A computer implemented process for obtaining web page information over a TCP/IP network comprising:

implementing a connection of a telephone user to an access system that is coupled to a TCP/IP network;

detecting a selection of at least one navigation command by said telephone user to access a web page accessible over said TCP/IP network; and

navigating utilizing the functionality of a customized web browser which is customized by a plug-in over said TCP/IP network to said web page in response to said navigation command, resulting in a verbal communication of at least some information derivable from said web page to said telephone user.

8. A computer implemented process as recited in claim 7 further comprising making an initial verbal contact with said telephone user after implementing a connection.

9. A computer implemented process as recited in claim 8 wherein said initial verbal contact includes providing a plurality of options to the telephone user.

10. A computer implemented process as recited in claim 9 wherein said plurality of options includes navigating the TCP/IP network and the sending or receiving of e-mail.

11. A computer implemented process as recited in claim 10 wherein said plurality of options further includes creating a web page on said TCP/IP network.

12. A computer readable media encoded with the computer implemented process of claim 7 .

13. A voice web browser comprising:

connection means for implementing a connection of a telephone user to an access system that is coupled to a TCP/IP network;

means for detecting a selection of at least one navigation command by said telephone user to access a web page accessible over said TCP/IP network; and

means for navigating utilizing the functionality of a customized web browser over said TCP/IP network to said web page in, response to said navigation command, resulting in a verbal communication of at least some information derivable from said web page to said telephone user;

means for estimating a download time for said web page;

means for selecting at least one advertisement based on the estimated download time; and

means for playing said selected advertisements with downloading said web page.

14. A voice web browser as recited in claim 13 further comprising means for making an initial verbal contact with said telephone user after implementing a connection.

15. A voice web browser as recited in claim 13 wherein said means for making an initial verbal contact includes means for providing a plurality of options to the telephone user.

16. A voice web browser as recited in claim 12 further comprising means for creating a web page accessible via said TCP/IP network.

17. A method for retrieving e-mail that was sent over a TCP/IP network comprising:

calling from a user telephone through at least one publicly accessible telephone switch office to an access computer coupled to a TCP/IP network;

providing user identification and a password to said access computer;

retrieving e-mail via said access computer that was sent over said TCP/IP network and addressed to said user; and

reading said e-mail to said user of said user telephone utilizing a text-to-speech system.

18. A method for retrieving e-mail as recited in claim 17 further comprising providing at least one command to said access computer via a DTMF signal developed by said user telephone.

19. A computer readable media encoded with software instructions and data to implement the method of claim 17 .

20. A system for retrieving e-mail that was sent over a TCP/IP network comprising:

an access computer means coupled to a TCP/IP network, said access computer means being accessible by a user via a user telephone;

means for providing user identification to said access computer means;

means for retrieving e-mail via said access computer means that was sent over said TCP/IP network and addressed to said user; and

means for reading said e-mail to said user of said user telephone.