Abstract: A method for providing, to a customer at a point of sale, information for obtaining an award includes receiving, from a point-of-sale (“POS”) system, transaction data representative of a transaction engaged in by the customer and, on the basis of the transaction data, identifying at least one eligible award. The transaction data and the award data is incorporated into an award code and communicated to the customer by the point-of-sale system. The customer can then redeem the award by providing the award code to a redemption server.

Abstract: The invention is based on new methods to provide marketers, retailers, and others with private and/or confidential consumer data that can provide a clear understanding of their actual customers as a group, or as specific subgroups, including information about their customers' geography, lifestyles, buying habits, demographics, etc., while protecting the privacy and identity of individual consumers.

Abstract: A wine dispensing device for dispensing individual portions of wine from a bottle while protecting the remaining wine in the bottle against contact with the ambient air. The device uses a source of a special inert gas/carbon dioxide gas mixture connected to a delivery assembly coupled to a bottle of wine through the bottle's cork for dispensing the contents and supply the blanketing gas mixture to the exclusion of undesired ambient air. The delivery assembly is so designed that is purged of ambient air prior to and during dispensing of the contents of the bottle.