Image forming apparatus, information processing apparatus, and method of giving notification of causal part

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a memory in which information on errors which have occurred in the image forming apparatus and error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of each of the errors are to be stored;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• read out, from the memory, information on an error to be analyzed and information on a related error which has occurred before an occurrence of the error to be analyzed;
• and
• determine a causal part being a cause of the error to be analyzed, based on error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the error to be analyzed and error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the related error,
• wherein the controller is configured to:
• determine, in a case where, after maintenance has been performed in order to solve a first error to be analyzed, a second error to be analyzed which is an error of a same type as the first error to be analyzed has occurred, the controller determines a period before a time of an occurrence of the second error to be analyzed, the second error to be analyzed being for use in determination of a causal part that has caused the second error to be analyzed, based on a timing at which the maintenance is performed;
• and
• determine the causal part being the cause of the second error to be analyzed based on error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the related error occurring within a determined period.

A notification method of giving a notification of a causal part being a cause of an error which has occurred in an image forming apparatus, the notification method comprising:

• selecting information on an error to be analyzed from a database storing information on errors which have occurred in the image forming apparatus;
• determining whether maintenance has been performed in order to solve the errors which have occurred in the image forming apparatus;
• determining, in a case where the maintenance has been performed in order to solve an error of a same type as the error to be analyzed before a timing of occurrence of the error to be analyzed, a threshold period occurring before the timing of occurrence of the error to be analyzed and is to be used in determination of a causal part being a cause of the error to be analyzed;
• acquiring information on a related error occurring in the threshold period, from the database;
• and
• giving a notification of the causal part being the cause of the error to be analyzed, based on error timing information related to the timing of occurrence of the error to be analyzed and error timing information related to a timing of occurrence of the related error.