Patent ID: 8977142
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A malfunction inferring apparatus comprising: an obtaining unit configured to obtain, from a first image forming apparatus and a second image forming apparatus which are used alternatively with each other by a plurality of users, a first usage history of the first image forming apparatus and a second usage history of the second image forming apparatus; and an inferring unit configured to, in response to a first change occurring in the first usage history and a second change corresponding to the first change occurring in the second usage history, infer that a malfunction has occurred in any one of the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus, in accordance with the first usage history and the second usage history obtained by the obtaining unit, and wherein the inferring unit is configured to infer that a malfunction has occurred in the first image forming apparatus in response to a number of regular users who have used the first image forming apparatus being smaller than a reference number and a ratio of the number of temporary users of the second image forming apparatus to a number of users who have used the second image forming apparatus being higher than a reference ratio.