Procedures and standards for inter-computer communications

In recent years there has been considerable discussion on computer communication networks, information service systems and the computer utility. Sophisticated displays maintained by small processors connected to remote multi-access computers are also being developed. Such applications involving interaction and exchange of information between computers are increasing in number and pointing to the widening need for reliable computer-to-computer communications. In order to allow communication between many arbitrary computers, a uniform agreed-upon manner for exchanging information is needed. This requires the establishment of a standard message format (i.e., character code structure and message syntax) and common communications protocol procedures (i.e., the agreed-upon manner of exchanging messages).