Patent ID: 7445256

Claim:
An automotive door latch device comprising: a striker fixed to a body of the vehicle; a latch assembly mounted to a door of the vehicle, the latch assembly including a latch means that is engageable with the striker and a locking/unlocking means that causes the latch means to switch between an unlocked condition wherein an engaged condition of the latch means is unlocked and a locked condition wherein the engaged condition of the latch means is locked; and an actuating assembly connected to the latch assembly to actuate the latch means and the locking/unlocking means, wherein the actuating assembly comprises: a housing that is selectively interchangeably used with both an override function unit and a child proof function unit, the override function unit having a function wherein a manipulation of an inside door handle induces cancellation of the engaged condition of the latch means irrespective of the condition of the locking/unlocking means, the child proof function unit having a function wherein the manipulation of the inside door handle is made inoperative irrespective of the condition of the locking/unlocking means, thereby to make the cancellation of the engaged condition of the latch means impossible; and a cover that is connected to the housing and holds thereon, having a common pivot support portion comprising a common shaft that is orthogonal to a main surface of the cover, or a common pivot bore wherein the common pivot support portion serves as a common pivot part for both the override function unit and the child proof function unit, depending on which unit is selected, a selected element that is exclusively used in either one of the override function unit or the child proof function unit, said selected element being rotatable about said common pivot support portion and in a plane parallel to said main surface of the cover, wherein, upon coupling of the cover with the housing, the selected element is aligned with both a transmission lever and a knob lever installed in the housing, wherein the transmission lever transmits the movement of the knob lever to the locking/unlocking means.