Patent ID: 7152890

Claim:
A motor-vehicle door latch comprising: a housing; a fork pivotal on the housing between a bolt-retaining closed position and a bolt-releasing open position; a pawl pivotal on the housing between a blocking position engaging the fork and retaining it in the closed position and a freeing position allowing the fork to move into the open position; a wheel rotatable about a wheel axis and having a radially directed cam surface engageable with the pawl, the surface of the wheel being spiral shaped and having relative to the wheel axis a radially high end and a radially low end separated by an angularly directed step face; drive means for rotating the wheel and thereby engaging the surface with the pawl to displace the pawl into its freeing position; and means including interengaging blocking formations on the pawl and on the wheel contacting each other and blocking rotation of the wheel when the high end of the wheel surface is operatively bearing on the pawl for blocking rotation of the wheel when the pawl is in the freeing position.