Patent ID: 7975264

Claim:
A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions constituting a patch tool for fixing a plurality of errors in a software pre-installed in a system, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes said patch tool to perform the actions of: receiving a plurality of patches, wherein each of said plurality of patches is designed to effect a corresponding one of a plurality of sets of changes and fix said plurality of errors when deployed; determining a conflict set containing a third patch and a fourth patch of said plurality of patches, wherein said third patch is designed to effect a third subset of changes and said fourth patch is designed to effect a fourth subset of changes, said third subset and said fourth subject having at least one common overlapping change, said third subset and said fourth subset having at least one non-overlapping change that is present in one subset, but not in the other subset; merging said third patch and said fourth patch into a merged patch; and deploying said merged patch in said system, in lieu of said third patch and said fourth patch, to effect all of the changes sought to be effected by both of said third patch and said fourth patch in said system.