Patent ID: 8886100

Claim:
A fuser unit for heat-fixing a developer image transferred on a recording sheet while moving the recording sheet in a predetermined direction, the fuser unit comprising: a cylindrical member having flexibility; a heat generation member arranged at an inside of the cylindrical member and configured to generate radiation heat; a nip member that slidingly contacts an inner periphery of the cylindrical member; a reflection plate that contacts the nip member, is configured to cover the heat generation member and to reflect the radiation heat toward the nip member; and a backup member that forms a nip region by nipping the cylindrical member between the nip member and the backup member, wherein the nip member and the reflection plate intermittently contact each other in an axial direction of the cylindrical member within an image forming width, wherein a plurality of cutout portions are formed at a contacting part of the reflection plate in the axial direction, the contacting part configured to contact the nip member so that the nip member and the reflection plate intermittently contact each other, and wherein a sum of axial lengths of the cutout portions is more than half of an entire axial length of the reflection plate.