Patent ID: 8369764

Claim:
A fixing member, comprising: a fixing rotational body having a heat source built therein, wherein: the fixing rotational body is configured to fix unfixed toner onto a recording medium as the recording medium carrying the unfixed toner passes through a nip portion formed between the fixing rotational body and a pressurizing unit that comes into pressure contact with the fixing rotational body via the recording medium, the fixing member is made of silicon rubber having carbon fiber, wherein a plurality of vacant spaces are formed in the silicon rubber; the carbon fiber is a pitch type carbon fiber, the carbon fiber has a shape in which a length of the carbon fiber is longer than a diameter of the vacant spaces, a part of the carbon fiber is provided inside the vacant spaces, and other part of the carbon fiber is provided inside a bubble continuation part connecting the vacant spaces to each other not adhered to the silicon rubber, and the carbon fibers in the silicon rubber contact each other to form paths for transferring heat.