SJC CTLR EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION REGARDING ARTS EQUIP FAILURE TO DETECT DUPLICATE FLT PLANS.

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OPERATOR; NOT PLT; FILED 2 FLT PLANS; DIFFERENT DESTS. 1 WAS SENT PDC; 2ND ISSUED VERBALLY 52 MINS LATER. RELEASE WAS OBTAINED FROM APCH CTL ON 1ST DEST; PLT FLIED RTE FOR 2ND DEST. NO LOSS OF SEPARATION. DEP RELEASE OBTAINED FROM APCH CTL USING AUTOMATED (ARTS) RUNDOWN. THIS SYS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO ALLOW ENTRY IF MORE THEN 1 FLT PLAN IS IN THE SYS; AS WAS THE CASE HERE. BOTH STRIPS SIT AT GND CTL FOR ANOTHER 20 MINS. GND CTLR DOES NOT NOTICE DUPLICATION; ACFT CALLS FOR TAXI AND GND CTLR PASSES SMO STRIP TO LCL. LCL ENTERS BEACON CODE INTO ARTS RUNDOWN; ARTS ACCEPTS ENTRY; APCH RELEASES ACFT. APCH NOTICES PROB WHEN ACFT LEVELS AT 4000 FT VERSUS EXPECTED 15000 FT. PROB IS AS FOLLOWS: REROUTING BY COMPANY IS ROUTINE; OFTEN CAUSES DUPLICATE FLT PLANS TO BE FILED. COMPANY DOES NOT REMOVE; OR POSSIBLY CANNOT REMOVE DUPLICATES. SINCE 1ST FLT PLAN IS SENT PDC AND THEN GIVEN TO GND CTL; CLRNC DELIVERY HAS LITTLE CLUE THAT THE NEXT FLT PLAN IS A DUPLICATE. IN THIS CASE; THE PLT STATED THERE MIGHT BE OTHER FLT PLANS; BUT SINCE THE PREVIOUS HAD BEEN PROCESSED 52 MINS EARLIER; I HAD NO MEMORY OF IT. FINDING ONLY THE APCH THAT WAS THE ACTUAL ACFT DEST; SAW NO CONFLICT. TYPICALLY; DUPLICATES WHICH ARE ISSUED VERBALLY ARE CAUGHT AT CLRNC BECAUSE BOTH ARE PRESENT AT THE SAME TIME. SENDING VIA PDC 1ST FLT PLAN REMOVES IT FROM THE VIEW OF CLRNC DELIVERY; MAKING THE SIT OF MULTIPLE FLT PLANS DIFFICULT TO NOTICE. ARTS IS DESIGNED TO SHOW ERROR MESSAGE OF 'DUPLICATE IDENT;' DUPLICATE CALL SIGN; WHEN MULTIPLE FLT PLANS EXIST. WHEN THIS HAPPENS; A FLT PLAN READOUT IS DONE; ALL FLT PLANS ARE DISPLAYED AND YOU QUESTION THE PLT OF THE INTENDED DEST. THE FACT THAT ARTS ACCEPTED THE ENTRY AND THE ACFT WAS RELEASED IS A PROB THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THIS SIT; MULTIPLE FLT PLANS; HAPPENS ON AVERAGE MORE THAN ONCE DAILY AND IS USUALLY CAUGHT WHEN THE ARTS REFUSES THE ENTRY.