Patent Publication Number: US-10768640-B2

Title: Self-actuating device for facilitating preventing product tip over

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Tip over of an apparatus, such as a machine, rack or other product, can result in bodily injury, as well as product damage. For instance, a computer rack, or palletized rack, or more generally a product, may be susceptible to a tip over incident during transportation. Depending on the configuration, a computer rack, machine, or other product, may have a relatively high center of gravity, making the product more susceptible to tip over. There are various events which may result in product tip over. For instance, a palletized rack may tip due to the pallet being lifted by a fork lift whose tines are not fitted to the pallet correctly, potentially resulting in damage to the palletized rack and/or components within the computer rack. There are numerous other potential causes for a tip over event of a product in transport, or more generally when being moved, such as when a data center is being reconfigured, with one or more computer racks being repositioned within the data center. 
     SUMMARY 
     Certain shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision, in one or more aspects, of a method of facilitating preventing product tip over, which includes coupling an anti-tip mechanism to a product to facilitate preventing tip over, where the anti-tip mechanism has a retracted state and an extended state. Further, the method includes associating an actuator with the product and operatively coupling the actuator to the anti-tip mechanism, the actuator being configured to automatically switch the anti-tip mechanism from the retracted state to the extended state based on the actuator detecting a tilt of a specified tilt angle. 
     Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary product with one embodiment of a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of the product, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged depiction of the self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  depicts the product and self-actuating device of  FIG. 1 , with the product tilted and an outrigger of the device shown extended to facilitate preventing tip over of the product, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3B  is an enlarged partial depiction of the product and self-actuating device of  FIG. 3A , in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  depicts the product with another embodiment of a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of the product, where the product is shown titled and an outrigger of the device is extended, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5A  depicts the product with a further embodiment of a self-actuating device for preventing tip over of the product, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5B  depicts the product with another embodiment of a self-actuating device for preventing tip over of the product, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6A  depicts a further embodiment of a product with a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of the product, where the product is shown titled and an outrigger of the device is extended, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6B  depicts a further embodiment of a product with a device for facilitating preventing tip over of the product, where the product is shown titled and an outrigger of the device is extended, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7A  depicts a further embodiment of a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of a product, with the anti-tip mechanism thereof shown in a retracted state, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7B  depicts the self-actuating device embodiment of  FIG. 7A , with the anti-tip mechanism thereof shown in an extended state, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  depicts a product with another embodiment of a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of the product, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9A  depicts a further embodiment of a self-actuating device for facilitating preventing tip over of a product, with the outriggers of the anti-tip mechanism thereof shown retracted, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9B  depicts the self-actuating device embodiment of  FIG. 9A , with an outrigger of the anti-tip mechanism thereof shown extended, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 10  depicts one example of a computer environment to incorporate or facilitate implementing one or more aspects of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting example(s) illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known systems, devices, processing techniques, etc., are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the invention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description in this specific example(s), while indicating aspects of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/or other arrangements, within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. Note further that numerous inventive aspects and features are disclosed herein, and unless inconsistent, each disclosed aspect or feature is combinable with any other disclosed aspect or feature as desired for a particular application to facilitate, for instance, providing a self-actuating device to resist product tip over. 
     The illustrative embodiments may be described below using specific designs, architectures, protocols, layouts, schematics, or tools only as examples, and are not limited to the illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments may be used in conjunction with other comparable or similarly purposed structures, systems, applications, or architectures. 
     The examples in this disclosure are used only for clarity of description and are not limiting to the illustrative embodiments. Additional operations, actions, tasks, activities, and manipulations will be conceivable from this disclosure and the same are contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments. 
     Any advantages listed herein are only examples and are not intended to be limiting to the illustrative embodiments. Additional or different advantages may be realized by specific illustrative embodiments. Furthermore, a particular illustrative embodiment may have some, all, or none of the advantages listed herein. 
     Note that the term product is used herein to refer generally to any product, package, apparatus, machine, container, cabinet, rack, pallet, etc., that may benefit from having a tip over preventing device, such as disclosed herein. As one example, the product may be a computer rack, which conventionally may be of high value, and relatively tall, and potentially top heavy, and therefore prone to tipping during transport or other movement, such as when being moved within a data center. 
     Products, including computer racks, are often transported in packages that may include or reside on a pallet. The pallet may have a bottom deck board, a top deck board, and sidewalls between the top and bottom deck boards. The boards and sidewalls of the pallet define a pallet interior into which tines of a fork lift, pallet jack or other semi-manual device may be inserted so that the pallet, package and computer rack inside the package can be lifted off the ground and moved. Since the pallet interior has to be large enough to accommodate various types of tines, it is often the case that the pallet interior is significantly larger than the tines. In such situations, there can be a large gap between the tines and the bottom deck board, which may lead to instability during lift or a turn operation. If this instability is excessive, the pallet, the package and/or the rack inside the package may tilt, and if the tilt becomes significant enough, product tip over may result, potentially causing damage to the palletized rack and/or components within the computer rack, or even bodily injury if contacting an individual. 
     Other tip incidents can arise in other cases as well. For instance, a packaged product, or a product itself (which may be on rollers or legs), could apparently be seated securely within a vehicle for transport. However, should the vehicle accelerate or brake suddenly, or make a sharp turn, the product might still tip over. Further examples include the possibility of a tip over event occurring during moving or repositioning of a product, such as a computer rack within a data center, or as might occur during an earthquake. 
     Disclosed herein, in one or more aspects, are self-actuating devices and methods of fabricating the devices to facilitate preventing tip over accidents from occurring by providing for an automatic deployment of an outrigger (e.g., arm) upon detection of a tilt of a specified tilt angle. By way of example, the self-actuating device for facilitating preventing product tip over may include an anti-tip mechanism and an actuator. The anti-tip mechanism may be associated with the product to facilitate preventing tip over of the product when in an extended state. The actuator may also be associated with the product, and may be configured and operatively coupled to automatically switch the anti-tip mechanism from a retracted state to the extended state based on the actuator detecting a tilt of a specified tilt angle. For instance, a particular tilt angle in the range of 10°-15° may be specified, and once detected by the actuator, an outrigger (or arm) of the anti-tip mechanism may be automatically released or extended in the direction of the product tilt in order to facilitate preventing tip over of the product. 
     In one or more embodiments, the actuator may include a weighted cylinder rotatable or movable about an axis, and an activation element associated with the weighted cylinder. The weighted cylinder, in one or more implementations, may be weighted in a lower portion thereof. By way of example, the activation element may be a releasable element relative to the weighted cylinder. The releasable element may release to initiate transitioning of the anti-tip mechanism to the extended state based on the weighted cylinder rotating or transitioning by the specified tilt angle from level about the axis. In one or more embodiments, the releasable element moves to engage a hinged latch of the anti-tip mechanism when the weighted cylinder rotates by the specified tilt angle in a particular direction, and based thereon, the hinged latch releases an outwardly biased outrigger arm of the anti-tip mechanism in a direction of the tilt, thereby transitioning the anti-tip mechanism to the extended state. 
     In one or more embodiments, the weighted cylinder may include a slot, and the activation element may reside within the slot in the weighted cylinder. Further, the device may include at least one sensor for sensing rotation of the activation element disposed within the weighted cylinder by the specified tilt angle, and thereby, tilting of the associated product by the specified tilt angle. In one or more particular embodiments, the at least one sensor may include at least one optical sensor, magnetic sensor or capacitive sensor depending on the activation element employed. 
     In one or more embodiments, the anti-tip mechanism may include a deployable outrigger, with the outrigger extending outward relative to the product when the anti-tip mechanism is in the extended state. In one or more embodiments, the outrigger may include a telescoping arm. 
     In one or more implementations, the anti-tip mechanism may include a first deployable outrigger and a second deployable outrigger. The first outrigger may extend outward relative to the product in a first direction when extended, and the second outrigger may extend outward relative to the product in the second direction when extended, where the first and second directions are opposite directions. Further, the actuator may switch the anti-tip mechanism to extend the first outrigger in extended state based on the product tilting in the first direction by the specified tilt angle, and may switch the anti-tip mechanism to extend the second outrigger in extended state based on the product tilting in the second direction by the specified tilt angle. 
     In one or more embodiments, the anti-tip mechanism and the actuator may each be internally or externally coupled to the product, with the anti-tip mechanism being coupled to the product below the actuator. By way of example, the product may include one or more of a computer rack, machine, shipping crate, or a shipping pallet. In one or more embodiments, the anti-tip mechanism may include an outwardly biased outrigger, with the outwardly biased outrigger being released to rotate outward (e.g., downward) when the actuator automatically switches the anti-tip mechanism from the retracted state to the extended state. 
       FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of an apparatus  100  comprising a product  110  with a self-actuating device  120  for facilitating preventing tip over of product  110 . As illustrated, product  110  may be on casters  112 , and self-actuating device  120  may be located within (or externally coupled to) a lower portion of product  110 . In the embodiment depicted, self-actuating device  120  includes an actuator  130  and an anti-tip mechanism  140 . As noted above, product  110  may be representative of any product, package, apparatus, machine, container, cabinet, rack, pallet, or other structure, etc., that may benefit from having a self-actuating, tip over preventing device, such as disclosed herein. By way of example only, product  110  may be described herein as being a computer rack (such as an IT rack), which as noted above, may be relatively tall and potentially top-heavy depending upon the arrangement of components within the rack. 
       FIG. 2  depicts an enlarged view of self-actuating device  120  of  FIG. 1 . As described herein, device  120  is an adaptive deployment outrigger device that may be used with relatively large products (such as system packages) to resist tip over of the product during shipping, relocation, or other event, such as an earthquake. Advantageously, this self-actuating device remains in retracted position when the associated product is relatively level, such as below a specified tilt angle. This allows the outriggers of the device to remain within the product, or for instance, within the footprint of the product, so as not to present a tripping hazard for service personnel. Further, the self-actuating device deploys one or more outriggers in a direction of tilt when required to resist tip over of the product. Depending on the implementations, the self-actuating device may require no power source, and therefore be battery independent. 
     By way of example, in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , actuator  130  includes a weighted cylinder  132  which may rotate or move about an axis  131  within an outer sleeve or housing  133  with tipping or tilting of the device, and thus, the product when the device is associated with (e.g., coupled to) the product. In one or more implementations, weighted cylinder  132  is weighted in a lower portion thereof, and includes a slot  134 , such as a notch or other opening configured as desired. Note that, in one or more embodiments, weighted cylinder  132  is weighted in the lower portion thereof to, for instance, prevent undue movement of weighted cylinder  132  during shock or vibration of the device or product with which self-actuating device  120  is associated. 
     In one or more embodiments, a releasable element  136 , such as a weighted sphere, puck, etc., is disposed within slot  134 . Releasable element  136  is designed to release (down a respective tube) when the associated product reaches a specified, critical tilt angle for which the device is designed. For instance, upon reaching a specified tilt angle, releasable element  136  travels down a respective tube (or conduit)  148   a ,  148   b  to contact a respective hinged latch  146   a ,  146   b  of anti-tip mechanism  140  in the direction of tilt. Note that self-actuating device  120  may be designed with any desired specified tilt angle by configuring sleeve  133  with one or more appropriate openings to allow for release of releasable element  136  down the appropriate tube  148   a ,  148   b  with actuator  130  detecting a tilt by the specified angle. 
     As illustrated, in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , anti-tip mechanism  140  may include a first outrigger  142   a  oriented to extend outward relative to the device (or product) in a first direction, and a second outrigger  142   b  oriented to extend outward relative to the device (or product) in the second direction, where the first and second directions are opposite directions. Further, actuator  130  automatically switches (e.g., via the releasable element) anti-tip mechanism  140  to extend first outrigger  142   a  in extended state based on the product tilting in the first direction (e.g., to the left in the figure) by the specified tilt angle, and switches the anti-tip mechanism to extend second outrigger  142   b  in extended state based on the product tilting in the second direction (e.g., to the right in the figure) by the specified tilt angle. More particularly, when tilted in the first direction by the specified tilt angle, releasable element  136  releases to travel down tube  148   a  to engage hinged latch  146   a , and upon engagement with the latch, to release outrigger (or arm)  142   a , which as shown may be spring biased  144   a . As shown, releasing hinged latch  146   a  results in deploying outrigger  142   a  in the direction of the tilt to facilitate preventing (or resist) tip over of the product. Note that spring biasing  144   a  in this sense implies any deployment source sized to deploy or extend the outrigger, such as a mechanical spring, pneumatic device, electric coil, etc. That is, the spring biasing may be any deployment source that has the power to extend or deploy the associated outrigger. Conversely, should the device or product tilt in the second direction to the specified tilt angle, then releasable element  136  releases down tube  148   b  to engage hinged latch  146   b , and thereby release outrigger  142   b , which as noted is also spring biased  144   b  outward in a direction corresponding to the direction of product tilt. 
       FIGS. 3A &amp; 3B  depict a use example of self-actuating device  120  associated with product  110 . In the example illustrated, product  110 , with an associated self-actuating device  120 , has tilted in a first direction by the specified tilt angle, thereby releasing releasable element  136  to transition down to hinged latch  146   a , releasing outrigger  142   a  to deploy outward in the direction of the tilt, and thereby facilitate preventing or resisting further tilting or tip over of product  110 . Note that in one or more embodiments, each individual outrigger may be configured to support the weight of the associated product when tilted at the specified tilt angle without collapsing. Further, in one or more implementations, the outrigger may be of sufficient length to reach or contact a surface upon which the product resides when deployed at the specified tilt angle. If desired, the outward ends of the outriggers may be configured to facilitate contacting and gripping the support surface when deployed at the critical angle. Further, the spring biasing of the outriggers may also operate as a built-in shock absorber as the outrigger fully deploys and initially contacts the support surface or floor. 
     In one or more embodiments, self-actuating device  120  may be integrated within product  110 , or could be externally attached along a side of product  110 , if desired. Further, as explained below, device  120  could be associated with or integrated with packaging surrounding an apparatus to be protected, or even associated with a pallet upon which the apparatus resides, whether packaged or unpackaged, with the assembly to be protected referred to herein as the product. 
       FIG. 4  depicts a variation on self-actuating device  120  of  FIGS. 1-3B , wherein actuator  130  is shown disposed in an upper portion of product  110 , and coupled via respective elongated tubes  400   a ,  400   b  to anti-tip mechanism  140 . With the exception of elongated tubes  400   a ,  400   b  in place of tubes  148   a ,  148   b  of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3B , the device, including actuator  130  and anti-tip mechanism  140  may be substantially identical to that described above. This particular implementation may be advantageous where there is limited room in the lower portion of product  110  for actuator  130  to reside. 
     Further variations are depicted in  FIGS. 5A &amp; 5B . In  FIG. 5A , two devices  120  are shown, each with an actuator  130  and an anti-tip mechanism  140  such as described above. In one or more embodiments, the anti-tip mechanisms may be disposed in the middle of the product  110  for possible outrigger  142  deployment, such as shown in  FIG. 5A . In this case, the releasable elements  136  associated with the respective self-actuating devices  120  are shown released down respective tubes  500  to contact the respective hinged latches of the two anti-tip mechanisms  140 , thereby having released respective outriggers  142  in the direction of tilt. Note that tubes  500  may be of any desired configuration to allow for passage of the respective releasable elements  136  from actuators  130  to the corresponding anti-tip mechanism  140  upon the actuator detecting a tilt of the specified tilt angle in a particular direction, as described herein. 
     In the example of  FIG. 5B , two devices  120  are again shown. In this case, devices  120  are disposed, by way of example, at the front and rear sides of product  110  to again allow for two outriggers (or arms) to extend in the case of tilting product  110  in a first direction by the specified tilt angle, or in the second direction (or opposite direction) by the specified tilt angle. Note that if desired, one or more devices  120  could also be positioned substantially perpendicular to devices  120  of  FIGS. 5A &amp; 5B  to extend outward in a front direction or to extend outward in a backward direction should product  110  tilt in either of those directions by a specified tilt angle as well. Note also that if desired, different devices associated with the product may have different specified tilt angles. For instance, where present, front and backward tilt preventing devices may have a different specified tilt angle than sideways tilt preventing devices. 
       FIGS. 6A &amp; 6B  depict further variations on the product with which the device may be associated. In  FIG. 6A , self-actuating device  120  is shown associated with a product  110 ′ that includes packaging, such as a box or crate, containing an apparatus  601 . In such a case, the device  120  may be located on the inside or outside of product  110 ′, such as between the packaging and the apparatus within the packaging. Appropriate openings may be provided in product  110 ′ aligned to the deployable outriggers (or arms)  142 ′ of device  120 . In the embodiment shown, product  110 ′ may be a palletized product, with the package sitting on a pallet  600  to which the package may be affixed, in one or more embodiments. Note that in the embodiment of  6 A, the outrigger  142 ′ of device  120  may be sized longer due to the presence of pallet  600 . For instance, the outrigger  142 ′ may be configured to extend out 2-3′, if needed to contact the support surface and facilitate preventing tip over of product  110 ′ upon reaching the critical angle. 
       FIG. 6B  depicts a similar product  110 ′ to  FIG. 6A , however, self-actuating device  120  is embodiment shown associated with pallet  600  of product  110 ′, rather than the packaging of the palletized product. In particular, actuator  130  may be coupled to pallet  600  along with anti-tip mechanism  140 . In the example shown, outrigger  142  has been deployed to extend in the direction of tilt by releasable element  136  having contacted hinged latch  146  upon tilting of product  110 ′ by the specified tilt angle, as described above. As with the example of  FIGS. 5A &amp; 5B , multiple self-actuating devices  120  may be associated with the product of  FIG. 6A or 6B , that is, multiple devices may be associated with packaging of an apparatus, and/or a pallet upon which the apparatus is being transported or shipped, collectively referred to herein as the product. 
       FIGS. 7A &amp; 7B  depict a further variation on self-actuating device  120 , where the respective outriggers  142   a ,  142   b  include telescoping arms  700 , which further extend out the length of each outrigger when deployed, if necessary to contact the product support surface, and thereby inhibit or facilitate preventing tip over of the associated product. In  FIG. 7A , the anti-tip mechanism  140  of device  120  is shown in retracted state, while in  FIG. 7B , anti-tip mechanism  140  is shown in extended state, with one of the outriggers  142   a , and the telescoping arms  700  thereof, shown extended, by way of example. This deployment results from actuator  130  having detected a tilt of the specified tilt angle, and the releasable element  136  having traveled to engage the respective hinged latch  146   a , which released the outrigger as shown. Note that the length of the outrigger  146   a  or telescoping arm  700  could be based on how tall the product is. For instance, the length of the outrigger may be 1-2′, depending on the implementation. Telescoping of the arm or outrigger advantageously may reduce the seated length of the outrigger within the self-actuating device associated with the product, and therefore making it easier to couple the device to the product. 
     In  FIG. 8  a product  110  is shown with a self-actuating device  120  such as described above in connection with  FIGS. 1-7B , wherein the device has a variation in that the outrigger or arm  142 ″ is configured to pivot or swing outward, whether downward as illustrated or laterally outward in a horizontal plane (not shown) about an axis  800  when deployed. Note that, as with the above described embodiments, the outrigger may be a piston, rod, bar, etc., that may or may not telescope, such as in the examples of  FIGS. 7A &amp; 7B . Note that in the embodiments disclosed herein, product  110  may have appropriately sized openings where required to allow the outrigger to extend when the anti-tip mechanism transitions to extended state, assuming, that is, that the device is disposed within the product  110  and not external to the product. 
       FIGS. 9A &amp; 9B  depict a further embodiment of a self-actuating device  120 ′, such as self-actuating device  120  described above. In this configuration, the actuator  130 ′ again includes a weighted cylinder  132  which rotates or moves about an axis  131  within a sleeve or housing  133 . As described above, weighted cylinder is weighted in a lower portion thereof to prevent undesired deployment of one or more outriggers due to shock or vibration experienced by the associated product. A slot  900  (such as a notch, slit or opening or cavity) is provided in weighted cylinder  132 , which contains an activation element  901 , which as depicted in  FIG. 9A  may be positioned to depend downward by the action of gravity on weighted cylinder  132  when the associated product is level. First and second sensors  910  are provided at a specified tilt angle relative to this level position of activation element  901 . Upon the weighted cylinder rotating sufficiently for activation element  901  to be sensed by one of the sensors  910 , a signal may be sent to a controller  920  which may then power a respective solenoid  930  to actuate a corresponding hinged latch  146  of the anti-tip mechanism  140  to release the corresponding outrigger  142  in the direction of tilt, as depicted in  FIG. 9B . Note that controller  920  may be any of a variety of control mechanisms, including a computer control mechanism. Note also that sensor(s)  910  may be fixed or movable to adjust the specified tilt angle, as desired for a particular product implementation. Further, in one or more implementations, controller  920  may be configured to record desired information. For instance, controller  920  may be configured to log tilt angles experienced during shipment of the product. 
     One or more aspects of the tilt angle monitoring and automatic release of the outrigger arm of the anti-tip mechanism may be performed by, implemented in association with, or otherwise facilitated by a computer system, one embodiment of which is depicted in  FIG. 10 . A computer system may be based on one of various system architectures and/or instruction set architectures, such as those offered by International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, N.Y., USA), Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif., USA) or ARM Holdings PLC (Cambridge, England, United Kingdom), as examples. 
       FIG. 10  shows a computer system  1000  in communication with external device(s)  1012 . Computer system  1000  includes one or more processor(s)  1002 , for instance, central processing unit(s) (CPUs). A processor can include functional components used in the execution of instructions, such as functional components that fetch program instructions from locations such as cache or main memory, decode program instructions, execute program instructions, access memory for instruction execution, and write results of the executed instructions. A processor  1002  can include register(s) to be used by one or more of the functional components. Computer system  1000  also includes memory  1004 , input/output (I/O) devices  1008 , and I/O interfaces  1010 , which may be coupled to processor(s)  1002  and each other via one or more busses and/or other connections. Bus connections represent one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures known in the art. 
     Memory  1004  can be or include main or system memory (e.g., random access memory) used in the execution of program instructions, a storage device(s) such as hard drive(s), flash media or optical media as examples, and/or cache memory, as examples. Memory  1004  can include, for instance, a cache, such as a shared cache, which may be coupled to local caches (examples include L1 cache, L2 cache, etc.) of processor(s)  1002 . Additionally, memory  1004  may be or include at least one computer program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules, instructions, code or the like that is/are configured to carry out the functions of various control aspects described herein when executed by one or more processors. 
     Memory  1004  can store an operating system  1005  and other computer programs  1006 , such as one or more computer programs/applications that execute to perform aspects described herein. Specifically, program/applications can include computer readable program instructions that may be configured to carry out functions of embodiments of aspects described herein. 
     Examples of I/O devices  1008  include but are not limited to accelerometers, magnetometers, and/or other sensor devices coupled to, for instance, sense tilt angle, etc. An I/O device may be incorporated into the computer system as shown, though in some embodiments in I/O device may be regarded as an external device  1012  coupled to the computer system through one or more I/O interfaces  1010 . 
     Computer system  1000  may communicate with one or more external devices  1012  via one or more I/O interfaces  1010 . Example external devices include any device that enables computer system  1000  to communicate with one or more other devices, such as an anti-tip mechanism described herein. A communication between I/O interfaces  1010  and external devices  1012  can occur across wired and/or wireless communication link(s)  1011 , such as ethernet based wired or wireless connections. Example wireless connections include cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, proximity-based, near field, or other types of wireless connections. More generally, communication link(s)  1011  may be any appropriate wireless and/or wired communication link(s) for communicating data. Computer system  1000  may take any of various forms, well known examples of which include, but are not limited to, personal computer (PC) system(s), server computer system(s), laptop(s), tablet(s), multiprocessor system(s), multiprocessor-based system(s), etc. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or device that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of a device that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of one or more aspects of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand one or more aspects of the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.