Patent ID: 7302818

Claim:
An apparatus for locking and unlocking a vehicle door in which a cylinder lock including a rotor rotating in response to a key operation, and a door lock mechanism, including a key operation input shaft rotatable to switch between a locked state and an unlocked state of a door, are provided at the door, and an inner cable, with one end connected to the rotor to make a twisting operation in response to the rotation of the rotor and the other end connected to the key operation input shaft, is inserted through an outer casing with opposite ends connected to the cylinder lock and the door lock mechanism, wherein a locking part for engaging with an engaging part, provided at a latch casing of the door lock mechanism, is provided at an end portion of the outer casing at a side of the door lock mechanism, wherein an engagement release inhibiting member, which is capable of inhibiting release of engagement of the engaging part with the locking part, is fitted to one of the end portion of the outer casing at the side of the door lock mechanism and the latch casing, said engagement release inhibiting member being selectively movable between an engagement release allowing position which allows release of engagement, and an engagement release inhibiting position which inhibits release of engagement, and wherein the engagement release inhibiting member inhibits the engagement part from releasing its engagement with the locking part by restricting radial movement of the engagement part relative to the locking part.