Locking means for automobile rear doors

Claim 1

In an automobile including a car body formed with a rear opening, and a rear door provided for closing said opening in the car body and being comprised of outer and inner panels which are secured together with a space therebetween; locking means for the rear door which comprises striker means provided on the car body, latch lever means mounted on the door and movable between a locking position wherein it engages with the striker means and an unlocking position wherein it is disengaged from the striker means, bias means for biasing the latch lever means toward the unlocking position, claw lever means mounted on the door and adapted to engage with the latch lever means for releasably holding the latch lever means in the locking position, unlocking lever means pivotably mounted on said door and have an operating portion adapted to engage with an engagement portions of said claw lever means, push button type actuating means mounted on said outer panel of the door for actuating, when depressed, the unlocking lever means so as to let it drive the claw lever means in a direction of releasing the latch lever means whereby the latch lever means is moved under the action of the bias means to the unlocking position, the improvement comprises the fact that said unlocking lever means is carried in the space of the door by said outer panel at an area close to said actuating means, said claw lever means and said latch lever means being carried by said inner panel, said unlocking lever means being carried by said outer panel having said operating portion located entirely forward of said claw lever means engagement portion and adapted to engage therewith upon a rearward movement to drive said claw lever means in the direction of releasing the latch lever means, whereby even when the outer panel is deformed in a crash the unlocking lever means is not moved into driving engagement with the engagement portion of the claw lever means.