Lightweight thrust reverser

Claim 1

IN A JET PROPULSION POWERPLANT OF THE FAN TYPE HAVING AN INNER JET AND A FAN DRIVEN BY THE JET ENGINE, THRUST REVERSING MEANS COMPRISING: A CYLINDRICAL WALL ENCLOSING THE INNER JET ENGINE, THE FAN EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID WALL, A CYLINDRICAL CASING SURROUNDING THE FAN AND SPACED FROM SAID ENGINE WALL TO FORM THEREWITH AN AXIALLY EXTENDING BYPASS PASSAGEWAY FOR THE FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID BETWEEN INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CASING, A PLURALITY OF THRUST REVERSING CASCADES EACH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF AXIALLY SPACED TURNING VANES EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT AN ARCUATE PORTION OF SAID CASING, SAID TURNING VANES HAVING UPSTREAM CONCAVE SURFACES AND DOWNSTREAM CONVEX SURFACES TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN A PLURALITY OF CHANNELS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CASING FOR THE FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID THERETHROUGH FROM SAID PASSAGEWAY TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASING, A PLURALITY OF SETS OF FIRST ELASTIC DIAPHRAGMS, EACH SET BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID CASCADES AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DIAPHRAGMS EACH MOUNTED ON THE CONVEX SURFACE OF A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID TURNING VANES, SAID FIRST ELASTIC DIAPHRAGMS HAVING INFLATED POSITIONS EXTENDING ACROSS SAID CHANNELS FOR PREVENTING FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID THROUGH SAID CHANNELS AND DEFLATED POSITIONS CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID CONVEX SURFACES FOR PERMITTING FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID THROUGH SAID CHANNELS, A SECOND CIRCUMFERENTIAL ELASTIC DIAPHRAGM CARRIED BY SAID ENGINE WALL ADJACENT SAID OUTLET OPENING, SAID SECOND ELASTIC DIAPHRAGM HAVING AN INFLATED POSITION EXTENDING ACROSS SAID AXIAL PASSAGEWAY FOR PREVENTING FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID THROUGH SAID OUTLET OPENING AND A DEFLATED POSITION FOR PERMITTING FLOW OF MOTIVE FLUID THROUGH SAID OUTLET OPENING, AND MEANS FOR INFLATING AND DEFLATING SAID SETS OF FIRST ELASTIC DIAPHRAGMS AND SAID SECOND ELASTIC DIAPHRAGM.