All The Claims

1. A covering device forming a protective surface with a variable length andor width, the covering device comprising:
a plurality of cover elements forming the protective surface and configured to change the width andor the length of the protective surface by one sliding relative to another,
a support frame with a predefined length and width; and
at least two intermediate frames with a predefined length and width and supported by the support frame, each intermediate frame supporting at least two cover elements that are mounted to be able to slide under one another equally in one or the other of two opposing sliding directions taken in the length or in the width of the intermediate frame, the intermediate frames being mounted on the support frame to be able to slide under one another equally in one or the other of two opposing sliding directions taken in the length or in the width of the support frame.
2. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the cover elements slide under one another equally in one or the other of two opposing sliding directions taken in the length andor in the width of the protective surface.
3. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements of each intermediate frame cover the entire surface defined by the width and by the length the intermediate frame when the cover elements are separated relative to one another in the opposing sliding directions and put edge-to-edge in the length or in the width of the intermediate frame.
4. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements cover the entire surface defined by the width and by the length of the support frame when the intermediate frames are separated relative to one another in the opposing sliding directions and put edge-to-edge in the length or in the width of the support frame, and when the cover elements are separated relative to one another according to the opposing sliding directions and put edge-to-edge in the length or in the width of the intermediate frames.
5. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the support frame supports two intermediate frames, each intermediate frame supporting three of the cover elements, with the three cover elements being mounted to slide in the length of the intermediate frames on three levels that are different and superposed in height, and
the intermediate frames are mounted to slide in the width of the support frame on two levels that are different and superposed in height.
6. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the support frame supports three intermediate frames, each intermediate frame supporting three cover elements, the three cover elements being mounted to slide in the length of intermediate frames on three levels that are different and superposed in height, the intermediate frames being mounted to slide in the width of the support frame on two levels that are different and superposed in height, two intermediate frames being located on the same level.
7. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal edges of the cover elements include rollers accommodated in slides provided along longitudinal struts of each intermediate frame, and
lateral struts of the intermediate frames include rollers accommodated in slides provided along the lateral supports of the support frame.
8. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements are solid and configured to direct rainwater toward grooves provided along longitudinal struts of each intermediate frame, and
the intermediate frames are configured to direct rainwater toward channels provided along lateral supports of the support frame.
9. The covering device according to claim 8, wherein the longitudinal edges of the cover elements and the lateral struts of the intermediate frames through which the rainwater is directed comprise a lower anti-drip profile.
10. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements comprise disengageable means for braking, or stopping, their translational movement relative to their respective intermediate frame andor the intermediate frames comprise disengageable means for braking, or stopping, their translational movement relative to the support frame.
11. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements are manufactured from an opaque, transparent, or translucent material, or consist of movable sun-shield elements.
12. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements have a slightly curved profile.
13. The covering device according to claim 1, wherein the cover elements, the intermediate frames, and the support frame are quadrilateral.
14. The covering device according to claim 1, further comprising an arrangement of several support frames, each support frame having a respective one of the intermediate frames and a respective one of the cover elements.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

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16. An integrated shopping cart software application, comprising:
a session initiation software module for establishing a communication session between a first server associated with a first website and an affiliated server associated with an affiliated website within a computer network so that a catalog of item information relating to items that can be selected from the affiliated website that is maintained by the affiliated server is accessible by the first server permitting the selecting of an item from the affiliated website;
an add item software module for informing the first server of the selecting of an item from the affiliated website so that a shopping cart order maintained by the first server is updated to include the selected item from the affiliated website;
an order fulfillment software module for transmitting order fulfillment information to the affiliated server and requesting the affiliated server to process the transmitted order fulfillment information to fulfill a portion of the shopping cart order; and
an error determination software module for managing error information occurring in the communication session between the first server and the affiliated server.
17. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, wherein the session initiation software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the additional server system.
18. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 17, wherein the request information is transmitted by a communication protocol.
19. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 18, wherein the communication protocol includes any of FTP, e-mail, HTTP and HTTPS communication protocols.
20. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 17, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information for identifying the first server, product identifier information for identifying an item from the catalog of item information and session identifier information for maintaining communication session information between the first server and the affiliated server.
21. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, wherein the add item software module permits the additional server system to transmit item information relating to a particular item selected from the catalog of item information to the first server so that the selected item is added to the shopping cart order maintained by the first server.
22. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 21, wherein the item information is transmitted as an XML message.
23. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 21, wherein the item information includes any of reference parameter information for identifying the selected item, line item number information for indicating a location in the shopping cart order at which the selected item is located, the quantity of the item selected, the weight of the selected item, inventory number information relating to the selected item, line item description information for associating a description of the selected item, price information of the selected item, session identifier information, and user identifier information.
24. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 21, wherein an acknowledgement message is transmitted from the first server to the affiliated server upon the first server receiving the item information from the affiliated server.
25. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, wherein the order fulfillment software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server so that the affiliated server can fulfill a portion of the shopping cart order.
26. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 25, wherein the request information is transmitted as an XML message.
27. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 25, wherein the request information includes any of shipping information, vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, line item information and session identifier information.
28. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 27, wherein the request information further includes any of tax information, distribution information, payment information, and cost center information.
29. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 27, wherein the shipping information includes any of shipping address information, contact information, shipping company information and shipping method information.
30. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 25, wherein an acknowledgement message is transmitted from the affiliated server to the first server upon the affiliated server receiving the request information from the first server.
31. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a shipping price software module for informing the first server of the shipping price of the item selected from the affiliated website.
32. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 31, wherein the shipping price software module permits the first server to transmit shipping price request information to the affiliated server.
33. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 32, wherein the request information is transmitted as an XML message.
34. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 32, wherein the shipping price request information includes any of item information and shipping information.
35. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 32, wherein an acknowledgement message is transmitted from the affiliated server to the first server upon the affiliated server receiving the request information from the first server.
36. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, wherein order fulfillment notification information is transmitted as an XML message.
37. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 36, wherein order fulfillment notification information includes any of line item information, reference parameter information, tracking information relating to a shipped item and session identifier information.
38. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 36, wherein an acknowledgement message is transmitted from the first server to the affiliated server upon the first server receiving the notification information from the affiliated server.
39. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, wherein the error determination software module permits the transmission of an error message to the first server.
40. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a ship notification software module for informing the first server of the fulfillment of a portion of the shopping cart order.
41. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a select-another-item software module for informing the first server of selecting another item from the affiliated website so that the selected item from the affiliated website can be added to the shopping cart order maintained by the first server.
42. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 41, wherein the select-another-item software module permits the first server system to transmit request information to the additional server system.
43. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 42, wherein the request information is by a communication protocol.
44. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 43, wherein the communication protocol includes any of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and e-mail.
45. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 41, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, action information, session identifier information and line item number information.
46. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a modify item software module for informing the affiliated server system of a request to modify a selected item indicated in the shopping cart order maintained by the first server.
47. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 45, wherein the request information is transmitted by a communication protocol.
48. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 47, wherein the communication protocol includes any of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and e-mail.
49. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 45, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, line item number information and session identifier information.
50. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a reorder software module for informing the first server of selecting a previously selected item from the affiliated website so that the previously selected item can be added to the shopping cart order maintained by the first server.
51. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 50, wherein the reorder software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server.
52. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 51, wherein the request information is transmitted by a communication protocol.
53. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 52, wherein the communication protocol includes any of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and e-mail.
54. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 51, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, line item number information and session identifier information.
55. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a view design software module for viewing an image of a design item created at the affiliated website.
56. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 55, wherein the view design software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server.
57. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 55, wherein the request information is transmitted by a communication protocol.
58. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 57, wherein the communication protocol includes any of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and e-mail.
59. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 56, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, line item number information, zoom factor information and session identifier information.
60. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a create another product software module for informing the affiliated server of creating a custom design item.
61. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 60, wherein the create another product software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server.
62. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 61, wherein the request information is transmitted by a communication protocol.
63. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 62, wherein the communication protocol includes any of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP and e-mail.
64. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 61, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, line item number information, product identifier information for indicating a particular design item template to provide to facilitate the creating of another product, and session identifier information.
65. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a save design software module for informing the first server of a saved design item on the affiliated server.
66. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 65, wherein the saved design item includes any of custom design items, non-custom design items, and non-printable items.
67. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 65, wherein the save design software module permits the affiliated server to transmit request information to the first server.
68. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 67, wherein the request information is transmitted as an XML message.
69. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 67, wherein the request information includes any of reference parameter information, line item information and item description information.
70. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 67, wherein an acknowledgement message is transmitted from the first server to the affiliated server upon the first server receiving the saved design notification information from the affiliated server.
71. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising an order placement software module for informing the affiliated server to fulfill an order for an item selected from a different affiliated website.
72. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 71, wherein the order placement software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server.
73. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 72, wherein the request information is transmitted as an XML message.
74. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 72, wherein the request information includes any of vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, line item information and shipping information.
75. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 16, further comprising a reorder fulfillment software module for informing the affiliated server of the fulfilling of an item in the shopping cart order that was previously fulfilled by the affiliated server.
76. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 75, wherein the reorder fulfillment software module permits the first server to transmit request information to the affiliated server.
77. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 76, wherein the request information is transmitted as an XML message.
78. The integrated shopping cart software application of claim 76, wherein the request information includes any of shipping information, vendor identifier information, reference parameter information, and line item information.
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What is claimed is:

1. A buffing pad for use on a rotary powered buffer apparatus comprising:
a resilient buffing pad body including a working face and a backing portion, said working face having an outer periphery and a central portion; and
an outward slanted surface provided at said central portion of the pad for facilitating outward dispersion of buffing compound onto a friction area of the pad.
2. The buffing pad in accordance with claim 1, wherein said outward slanted surfaces further comprise:
a hollowed out frustro-conical shape through the center of the pad with the wider part of the conical frustum at the working face of the pad and the narrower portion at the rear or mounting surface of the pad, which prevents build up and saturation of compound at the center of the pad by utilizing centrifugal force to spread buffing compounds outward from the center.
3. The buffing pad in accordance with claim 1, wherein said resilient buffing pad body is made of a foam material.
4. The buffing pad in accordance with claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of same is rounded.
5. The buffing pad in accordance with claim 1, wherein said backing portion further includes a hook and loop fastener for attachment to a rotary powered buffer apparatus.
6. A buffing pad for use on a rotary powered buffing apparatus comprising:
a resilient buffing pad body including a working face and a backing portion, said working face having an outer periphery and a central portion; and
a frustro-conical surface formed at said central portion with the wider portion of the conical frustum at the working face of the pad, whereby build-up of material at the center of said pad is prevented by said frustro-conical surface biasing any buffing material in the center toward movement onto the friction area of the pad.
7. The buffing pad of claim 6 wherein the outer periphery has a rounded edge.
8. The buffing pad of claim 6 wherein the resilient buffing pad body is made from a foam material.
9. The buffing pad of claim 6 wherein a hook and loop fastener material is attached to the backing portion for attachment of the pad to the rotary powered buffer apparatus.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A base station comprising:
a processor configured:
to perform communication with a terminal by using a cell defined as a combination of a frequency and an area reachable by a signal transmitted from the base station,
to specify, for each of cells, a first area in which disconnection of communication with a terminal occurs more frequently as compared to another area, and
to control handover that changes a current cell of a first terminal to another cell, based on information on the specified first area and the current cell of the first terminal, and a position, moving speed, and moving direction of the first terminal; and

a memory configured to store information on areas and the cells.
2. The base station of claim 1, wherein
the processor determines whether or not the first terminal is expected to enter one of the specified first areas that corresponds to a cell having a frequency equal to that of the current cell of the first terminal, based on information on the one of the first areas and the position and moving direction of the first terminal;
the processor calculates a time needed for the first terminal to enter the one of the first areas, based on information on the one of the first areas and the position and moving speed of the first terminal; and
the processor causes the first terminal to perform handover thereof when it is determined that the first terminal is expected to enter the one of the first areas and the calculated time is less than a first threshold.
3. The base station of claim 1, wherein
the processor obtains a first report transmitted from each of terminals each time communication for the each terminal is disconnected, the first report including positional information of the each terminal at a time when the communication is disconnected; and
the processor counts, based on the obtained first report, a count value defined as a number of times the communication is disconnected, for each mesh code, and sets, as the first area, an area corresponding to a mesh code for which the count value is equal to or greater than a second threshold.
4. The base station of claim 3, wherein
the processor groups a plurality of mesh codes for which the count value is equal to or greater than the second threshold and whose corresponding areas form a continuous area, into a same group.
5. The base station of claim 4, wherein
the processor sets, as the first area, a rectangular area including all of areas corresponding to mesh codes included in the same group.
6. The base station of claim 1, wherein
the processor performs handover of the first terminal to a cell that includes neither the first area of the base station nor the first area of adjacent base stations adjacent to the base station.
7. The base station of claim 2, wherein
the processor cyclically obtains, from each terminal included in an area of the base station, a second report including a position, moving speed, and a moving direction of the each terminal; and
when a transmission source terminal that has issued the obtained second report is connected to a cell including the first area of the base station, the processor determines whether or not the transmission source terminal is expected to enter the first area of the base station.
8. The base station of claim 7, wherein
the processor sets a cycle of the second report transmitted by the transmission source terminal connected to a cell including the first area of the base station, at a value shorter than a cycle of the second report transmitted by the transmission source terminal that is not connected to a cell including the first area of the base station.
9. The base station of claim 1, wherein
the processor determines whether or not the first terminal is expected to enter the first area, based on information on one of the first areas whose frequency is equal to that of the current cell of the first terminal, and the position and moving direction of the first terminal;
the processor calculates, based on the position and moving speed of the first terminal, a time needed for the first terminal to pass through the first area; and
the processor excludes the first terminal from targets of handover when it is determined that the first terminal is expected to enter the first area and the calculated time is less than a second threshold.
10. A handover control method comprising:
specifying, for each of cells, a first area in which disconnection of communication with a terminal occurs more frequently as compared to another area, the each cell being defined as a combination of a frequency and an area reachable by a signal transmitted from the base station; and
controlling handover that changes a current cell of a first terminal to another cell, based on information on the specified first area and the current cell of the first terminal, and a position, moving speed, and moving direction of the first terminal.