Ok I just had a thought, could this possibly be for a pick-up to allow for items longer than the bed, but not hanging out the back?

 

It could work for a pickup, but many pickups already have a sliding rear window that allows you to place longer items through the cab rather than sticking out the bed. I do this a lot with my Dakota hauling lumber. But of course the width of the item is limited by the sliding portion of the rear window.

 

And the willingness to be hit in the head with a pipe or piece of lumber.

 

So the next Wrangler will loose the folding front Glass, but it will gain folding rear Glass.

I couldn't resist being a smart@$$, there is good reason for fixed front glass on the next Wrangler, and like we suspect the folding rear glass would be Chrysler preparing for a possible change in Regs that would result in the next Wrangler having to meet the standard vehicle roof crush standards.

No, as far as any informed opinion or rumors I've seen on this forum, it has NOT been decided yet, we do NOT know for sure if the Reg will change or NOT, or if the next Wrangler will have a sport bar, some integrated roof structure that has a similar open air feel as the sport bar or if it will be integrated roof with lots of removable panels and folding glass to get as much of an open air feeling as possible.

I wouldn't read into the patent as anything more than Chrysler/FCA making some preparations to avoid losing a Billion Dollars if the Gov changes the Reg.

 

So the next Wrangler will loose the folding front Glass, but it will gain folding rear Glass.

For all those back seat drivers.

 

...There are some objections on the Allpar forums. As an example, note the amount of mud on the back glass of the Jeep shown above. If that window hadn’t been there, the mud would have ended up inside; and driving with rear glass open could cause the vehicle to pull in exhaust fumes if the front windows were not also open, or while idling at a halt....

...Even with these downsides, there are likely people who would love to be able to lock the backglass of their Jeep Wrangler open while driving with the top on, so the next generation Wrangler may include this as an optional package. There is also the possibility that this backglass design is intended for a fixed roof model that would offer the option to drive with the backglass open because the owner cannot remove the roof altogether...

If a fixed roof, had removable panels over the 1st and 2nd row seats, like some of the removable hardtops currently offered, that left behind a minimal and very open support structure, combined with open door windows or removed doors; I suspect the air flow would be sufficient to prevent the backflow of exhaust and dirt into the cargo area.

But I suspect experienced off roaders are going to say, many off road courses the speed will be slow enough that exhaust and mud/dirt is going to backflow into the cargo area.

Can the hard top have side glass removable as well? There are aftermarket hard tops with removable side glass in the rear as well. This would add to the open air feel of a fixed roof. BUT, I suspect, removable rear side panels/glass, that would meet the standards and design criteria of OEM, would be a bridge too far.

 

If a fixed roof, had removable panels over the 1st and 2nd row seats, like some of the removable hardtops currently offered, that left behind a minimal and very open support structure, combined with open door windows or removed doors; I suspect the air flow would be sufficient to prevent the backflow of exhaust and dirt into the cargo area.

But I suspect experienced off roaders are going to say, many off road courses the speed will be slow enough that exhaust and mud/dirt is going to backflow into the cargo area.

Can the hard top have side glass removable as well? There are aftermarket hard tops with removable side glass in the rear as well. This would add to the open air feel of a fixed roof. BUT, I suspect, removable rear side panels/glass, that would meet the standards and design criteria of OEM, would be a bridge too far.

The exhaust issue is at road speeds where you get a vacuum effect behind the vehicle. Not likely to be an issue offroad at low speed.

 

When I remove the back "window" from my soft top and leave the side windows intact, the exhaust fumes quickly fill the vehicle and just about choke me to death. I honestly don't think I'd use this feature on a hard top unless I was hauling lumber, which I have done with the JKU many times.

 

If a fixed roof, had removable panels over the 1st and 2nd row seats, like some of the removable hardtops currently offered, that left behind a minimal and very open support structure, combined with open door windows or removed doors; I suspect the air flow would be sufficient to prevent the backflow of exhaust and dirt into the cargo area.

But I suspect experienced off roaders are going to say, many off road courses the speed will be slow enough that exhaust and mud/dirt is going to backflow into the cargo area.

Can the hard top have side glass removable as well? There are aftermarket hard tops with removable side glass in the rear as well. This would add to the open air feel of a fixed roof. BUT, I suspect, removable rear side panels/glass, that would meet the standards and design criteria of OEM, would be a bridge too far.

Yes they could, as I explained in my article.....and completely soft doors, no doors, half doors, and every other permutation that exists today.

Why do you guys insist on jumping to conclusions instead of thinking?

 

I wonder if the next patent is for sensors that do not allow use of the feature unless front windows are open...

 

Technically, yes it could if the cabin would support gas sealing.

 

It's also possible with the back glass in the up position it could allow air under it creating a down force along the back side of the Jeep to keep out fumes, similar to the aluminum diffusion plates mounted on the back sides of the old station wagons.

 

NO, the only way to eliminate the vacuum, is to have the rear side windows down or removed. (which is possible on a soft top, impossible with the current hardtop).
And for the two posts above, the possibility of fumes, mud, dirt, etc is at any speed.