I just Googled "Pedestrian Impact Bumpers" and to my surprise, there are a whole number of articles written on the subject.

While it is not directly related to Jeep, some of these articles might give a clue as to the current styling of the new Jeep bumpers on the Compass, new Liberty, and Patriot.

Interesting. The first bumpers on cars in the thirties were for the expressed purpose of "bumping" pedestrians out of the way. Bumpers were not meant to protect the car from other cars.

I use my bumper to clear shopping carts out of parking spaces when I am pulling into the grocery store.