Patent ID: 7287786

Claim:
Locking device for a vehicle door, comprising: a lock arranged between an inside panel and an outside panel of a vehicle door, which outside panel is fastened to the inside panel, said lock having a release lever arranged between the inside panel and the outside panel for moving the lock from a lock position of the lock to an unlocked position, and an outside operating mechanism acting upon the release lever by way of a force transmission element, the outside operating mechanism comprising a supporting part fastened to an interior side of the outside panel and a swivelable pull handled arranged on an exterior side of the outside panel, wherein a catching device is provided, as viewed in a driving direction, adjacent a rear side of the lock within the vehicle door, and is operatively connected to the inside panel such that during a defined lateral acceleration acting upon the vehicle, the catching device interacts with a supporting part of the outside operating mechanism and limits a bulging of the outside panel toward the outside, the catching device comprising a catch pin extending substantially in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a holding part which is aligned substantially in a transverse direction of the vehicle and has a receiving device surrounding the catch pin, and in an inoperative normal locked position of the vehicle door, the receiving device of the holding part extends at a radial distance from the interior catch pin, whereas, starting from a defined lateral acceleration acting upon the vehicle, the catch pin is locally supported on the outer edge of the receiving device.