The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 07, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 30, 1999
Michael Strathmann, Velbert, DE;
Kiekert AG, Heiligenhaus, DE;
Abstract
A motor-vehicle door latch has a latching element movable between a latched position retaining a door bolt and an unlatched position releasing the door bolt, and a locking pawl engageable with the element and displaceable between a locked position retaining the latching element and an unlocked position freeing the element. A planetary-gear drive has a reversible electric motor, a sun gear rotatable by the motor, a planet carrier, at least one planet gear meshing with the sun gear and carried on the carrier, and a ring gear meshing with the planet gear. A locking lever is displaceable by a locking element and by the planet carrier between a locked position and an unlocked position and a coupling element is displaceable between a coupling position engaged between the locking pawl and locking lever for coupling the locking pawl and lever together. An antitheft element is displaceable by the ring gear between an antitheft-on position engageable with the coupling element and retaining same in the uncoupling position and an antitheft-off position. Structure coupled to the antitheft element arrests the planet carrier in the antitheft-on position of the antitheft element. A releasable coupling is provided between the antitheft element and the ring gear for joint movement of the antitheft element and ring gear. The locking lever coupled to the antitheft element displaces of the antitheft element from the antitheft-on position to the antitheft-off position by the locking lever when the locking lever is actuated with sufficient force to release the coupling.