  We investigate the inelastic coupling interaction by studying its effect on
the elastic scattering potential as determined by inverting the elastic
scattering $S$-matrix. We first address the effect upon the real and imaginary
elastic potentials of including excited states of the target nucleus. We then
investigate the effect of a recently introduced novel coupling potential which
has been remarkably successful in reproducing the experimental data for the
$^{12}$C+$^{12}$C, $^{12}$C+$^{24}$Mg and $^{16}$O+$^{28}$Si reactions over a
wide range of energies. This coupling potential has the effect of deepening the
real elastic potential in the surface region, thereby explaining a common
feature of many phenomenological potentials. It is suggested that one can
relate this deepening to the super-deformed state of the compound nucleus,
$^{24}$Mg.
