# US 12,118,026 B2 · Rule based de-duplication of software system defects > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,118,026 B2 - Document ID: US12118026B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/179,170 - Filed: 2023-03-06 - Published: 2023-09-07 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-07 - Assignees: Bugcrowd Inc. - Applicants: Bugcrowd Inc. - Inventors: Michael Skelton - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12118026B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/338: Presentation of query results - G06F 11/3604: Analysis of software for verifying properties of programs (testing of software G06F11/3668) - G06F 11/3692: {for test results analysis} - G06F 16/215: Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors - G06F 40/194: Calculation of difference between files - G06F 40/20: Natural language analysis (semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A system allows users to submit information describing system defects, for example, defects in software systems. The system stores information describing defects for multiple external systems. The system further allows users to specify de-duplication rules for determining duplicate defects submitted by users. A de-duplication rule is associated with an original system defect and specifies regular expressions that are evaluated against a target system defect. The evaluation of the regular expressions against the target system defect indicates whether the target system defect is a duplicate of the original system defect. If the target system defect is determined to be a duplicate of another existing system defect, the target system defect may be closed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer implemented method for de-duplication of system defects, the method comprising: storing records describing system defects for a plurality of external systems, each system defect associated with an external system; configuring a user interface for display via a client device, the user interface displaying information stored in records describing system defects; receiving, one or more de-duplication rules, each de-duplication rule configured to receive a description of an input system defect and determine whether the input system defect is a duplicate of an original system defect associated with the de-duplication rule, the de-duplication rule specifying one or more regular expressions, wherein the input system defect is determined to be a duplicate responsive to satisfying the one or more regular expressions; executing a particular de-duplication rule configured to determine duplicate system defects for a particular system defect associated with a particular external system, the executing comprising whether a target system defect specified for the particular external system satisfies the one or more regular expressions specified by the de-duplication rule; determining based on the execution of the one or more regular expressions that the target system defect specified for the particular external system is a duplicate of the particular system defect; and storing in a record describing the target system defect, information indicating that the target system defect is a duplicate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a record describing a system defect comprises one or more components, wherein each regular expression of a de-duplication rule is associated with a component of the system defect of the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein one or more system defects include unstructured text describing a difference between an implemented feature of the external system and an expected feature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: closing the target system defect, the closing comprising indicating that the target system defect will not follow a workflow for fixing the target system defect. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating with the user providing the target system defect, wherein the communication depends on whether the target system defect is a duplicate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a score for a de-duplication rule, the score indicating a significance of the de-duplication rule, wherein the score is determined based on a number of system defects determined to be duplicates based on the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: communicating with the user providing the de-duplication rule, wherein the communication depends on the score of the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: ranking a plurality of de-duplication rules based on the scores of each of the plurality of de-duplication rules; and sending the ranked de-duplication rules for presentation via a user interface. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: storing records describing system defects for a plurality of external systems, each system defect associated with an external system; configuring a user interface for display via a client device, the user interface displaying information stored in records describing system defects; receiving, one or more de-duplication rules, each de-duplication rule configured to receive a description of an input system defect and determine whether the input system defect is a duplicate of an original system defect associated with the de-duplication rule, the de-duplication rule specifying one or more regular expressions, wherein the input system defect is determined to be a duplicate responsive to satisfying the one or more regular expressions; executing a particular de-duplication rule configured to determine duplicate system defects for a particular system defect associated with a particular external system, the executing comprising whether a target system defect specified for the particular external system satisfies the one or more regular expressions specified by the de-duplication rule; determining based on the execution of the one or more regular expressions that the target system defect specified for the particular external system is a duplicate of the particular system defect; and storing in a record describing the target system defect, information indicating that the target system defect is a duplicate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein a record describing a system defect comprises one or more components, wherein each regular expression of a de-duplication rule is associated with a component of the system defect of the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein one or more system defects include unstructured text describing a difference between an implemented feature of the external system and an expected feature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: closing the target system defect, the closing comprising indicating that the target system defect will not follow a workflow for fixing the target system defect. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: communicating with the user providing the target system defect, wherein the communication depends on whether the target system defect is a duplicate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: determining a score for a de-duplication rule, the score indicating a significance of the de-duplication rule, wherein the score is determined based on a number of system defects determined to be duplicates based on the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: communicating with the user providing the de-duplication rule, wherein the communication depends on the score of the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: ranking a plurality of de-duplication rules based on the scores of each of the plurality of de-duplication rules; and sending the ranked de-duplication rules for presentation via a user interface. ### Claim 17 A computer system comprising: one or more computer processors; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: storing records describing system defects for a plurality of external systems, each system defect associated with an external system; configuring a user interface for display via a client device, the user interface displaying information stored in records describing system defects; receiving, one or more de-duplication rules, each de-duplication rule configured to receive a description of an input system defect and determine whether the input system defect is a duplicate of an original system defect associated with the de-duplication rule, the de-duplication rule specifying one or more regular expressions, wherein the input system defect is determined to be a duplicate responsive to satisfying the one or more regular expressions; executing a particular de-duplication rule configured to determine duplicate system defects for a particular system defect associated with a particular external system, the executing comprising whether a target system defect specified for the particular external system satisfies the one or more regular expressions specified by the de-duplication rule; determining based on the execution of the one or more regular expressions that the target system defect specified for the particular external system is a duplicate of the particular system defect; and storing in a record describing the target system defect, information indicating that the target system defect is a duplicate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer system of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to perform steps comprising: closing the target system defect, the closing comprising indicating that the target system defect will not follow a workflow for fixing the target system defect. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer system of claim 17, further comprising: determining a score for a de-duplication rule, the score indicating a significance of the de-duplication rule, wherein the score is determined based on a number of system defects determined to be duplicates based on the de-duplication rule. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer system of claim 19, further comprising: ranking a plurality of de-duplication rules based on the scores of each of the plurality of de-duplication rules; and sending the ranked de-duplication rules for presentation via a user interface.