Door lock assembly for automotive vehicles

A door lock assembly for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a base adapted to be secured inside a vehicle door supported on a vehicle body in freely swinging fashion;
• a latch mechanism provided on said base and adapted to engage with and disengage from a striker on a body side of the vehicle;
• an opening lever provided on said base for operating said latch mechanism via a linking device;
• a rod operably connected to said opening lever;
• a locking lever provided on said base for manipulating said linking device to engage and disengage a transmission path from said opening lever to said latch mechanism;
• a protective cover for covering said locking lever and said linking device, said protective cover having a first opening, said protective cover having a second opening through which a part of said opening lever is projected outwardly from a side wall of the protective cover, the second opening including an entrance that is narrowed by an extension of the protective cover, said rod extending perpendicularly with respect to an opening direction of said second opening, said second opening opening in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which said first opening opens;
• a sub-locking lever having a mounting portion by which the sub-locking lever is mounted for rotational movement on said protective cover, said mounting portion of the sub-locking lever being provided outboard of said protective cover, said sub-locking lever being linked to said locking lever via said first opening;
• and
• said sub-locking lever having a connecting portion connected to an operating member, said connecting portion extending in a direction which is substantially at a right angle to an opening direction of said first opening, said first opening being adapted to be located inward of the operating member with respect to a door thickness direction of the vehicle door.