What is the difference between a puppet and a performing object???????

Try as I might to find a definative answer to this question it seems there are blurry lines between a puppet and a performing object.  The closest I can pin it to is a puppet is in some way manipulated by a puppeteer and is the focus of the performance whereas a performing object is used in a more peripheral way such as a ribbon or hoop in a gymnastic performance (photo by Eric Lafforgue from flickr.com).  If this is true then it is hard to know where to place a mask that is used on an actors face, my guess is a performing object .........although this could also be a costume prop!!! Aaargghh!! Curioser and curioser, to borrow a phrase, indeed it feels as though the more you look the further down the rabbit hole the answer receeds. 
I found examples of both mask and puppet in the same production in Rachel Wenona Guy's web site Rim of a cup which has a delightfully dark quality to it, very Burtonesque.  I particularily like the Bunraku puppet manipulation and will enjoy researching this further.