Patent ID: 7961623

Claim:
A method of providing Quality of Service to a session from a client to a first network, wherein the session passes through a second network between the client and the first network, said method comprising: providing data packets to be conveyed in the session from the client to the first network, wherein the data packets include packet headers for routing the packets; encapsulating each of the data packets in an encapsulating packet having an encapsulating header; transmitting the encapsulating packets through the second network to the first network, thereby forming a tunnel through the second network; receiving the encapsulating packets at a terminating device in the first network, wherein the terminating device removes the encapsulating headers to recover the data packets; determining an association between the packet headers of the recovered data packets and the encapsulating headers used to transport the data packets through the tunnel; identifying a session of data packets requiring Quality of Service, and using the association to identify encapsulating packets corresponding to the session of data packets requiring Quality of Service; and, applying Quality of Service to the encapsulating packets, corresponding to the session of data packets requiring the Quality of Service, being conveyed through the tunnel.