  We consider the bipartite version of the degree/diameter problem, namely,
given natural numbers {\Delta} \geq 2 and D \geq 2, find the maximum number
Nb({\Delta},D) of vertices in a bipartite graph of maximum degree {\Delta} and
diameter D. In this context, the Moore bipartite bound Mb({\Delta},D)
represents an upper bound for Nb({\Delta},D). Bipartite graphs of maximum
degree {\Delta}, diameter D and order Mb({\Delta},D), called Moore bipartite
graphs, have turned out to be very rare. Therefore, it is very interesting to
investigate bipartite graphs of maximum degree {\Delta} \geq 2, diameter D \geq
2 and order Mb({\Delta},D) - \epsilon with small \epsilon > 0, that is,
bipartite ({\Delta},D,-\epsilon)-graphs. The parameter \epsilon is called the
defect. This paper considers bipartite graphs of defect at most 4, and presents
all the known such graphs. Bipartite graphs of defect 2 have been studied in
the past; if {\Delta} \geq 3 and D \geq 3, they may only exist for D = 3.
However, when \epsilon > 2 bipartite ({\Delta},D,-\epsilon)-graphs represent a
wide unexplored area. The main results of the paper include several necessary
conditions for the existence of bipartite $(\Delta,d,-4)$-graphs; the complete
catalogue of bipartite (3,D,-\epsilon)-graphs with D \geq 2 and 0 \leq \epsilon
\leq 4; the complete catalogue of bipartite ({\Delta},D,-\epsilon)-graphs with
{\Delta} \geq 2, 5 \leq D \leq 187 (D /= 6) and 0 \leq \epsilon \leq 4; and a
non-existence proof of all bipartite ({\Delta},D,-4)-graphs with {\Delta} \geq
3 and odd D \geq 7. Finally, we conjecture that there are no bipartite graphs
of defect 4 for {\Delta} \geq 3 and D \geq 5, and comment on some implications
of our results for upper bounds of Nb({\Delta},D).
