Patent ID: 8411564

Claim:
A communication network comprising: a plurality of autonomous systems including at least a first autonomous system and a last autonomous system, each of the autonomous systems includes a designated quality-of-service provider entity and a plurality of gateways configured to communicate with the designated quality-of-service provider entity; wherein the autonomous systems are interconnected through the gateways, the first autonomous system is connected to a first user, and the last autonomous system is connected to a second user; wherein each designated quality-of-service provider entity is a technology-independent entity, and communicates with users and other quality-of-service (QoS) provider entities for establishing QoS-sessions having technology independent QoS parameters; wherein each designated quality-of-service provider entity has information of resources in its respective autonomous system, and each designated quality-of-service provider entity is configured to initiate and establish a data path within its respective autonomous system through the gateways of its respective autonomous system based on underlying technologies of the gateways and a predefined set of quality-of-service requirements; and wherein the designated quality-of-service provider entity of the first autonomous system is further configured, upon receipt of a signal from the first user, to inquire of the designated quality-of-service provider entities of other autonomous systems to determine and establish a path for data flow from the first user to the second user satisfying the pre-defined set of quality-of-service requirements.