Patent ID: 7197038

Claim:
A computer internetwork providing transport at a predetermined quality of service (QoS), comprising: a first access network providing an access point for a user, said first access network including a first QoS regulation server for making path segments available within said first access network at said predetermined QoS; a resource within a resource provider network connected within said internetwork, said resource supporting interaction with said user at said predetermined QoS; a backbone network coupled to said first access network and said resource provider network, said backbone network including a backbone QoS regulation server for making path segments available within said backbone network at said predetermined QoS; a QoS service portal responsive to a request from said user or said resource provider network for a communication link between said user and said resource, wherein said QoS service portal validates the requester initiating said request and, if said requester is validated, then sends a request to a QoS regulation server within said internetwork for the generation of a QoS-regulated service path between said user and said resource, wherein said requested QoS regulation server responds to said generation request from said QoS service portal to 1) identify a group of networks containing needed path segments to generate said QoS-regulated service path, 2) reserve any path segments over which is has regulatory control, 3) contact corresponding other QoS regulation servers to reserve path segments in their corresponding networks, and 4) notify said QoS portal of said communication link; a log for recording usage of said path segments; and a settlement system coupled to said log for initiating collection from at least one of said user and said resource provider network in response to said recorded usage and initiating compensation to at least said backbone network in response to the location of said path segments corresponding to said recorded usage.