Swill-0′-the-Wisp. Louis T. Pyott’s “Improved Combined Wisp and Flask,” patented in 1871, had a half-pint capacity, but heavy drinkers might have chosen his “fifth” model. The flask never was marketed widely, but Pyott probably cleaned up with his invention. I Couldn’t Put It Down. Wesley H. Stroup received a patent in 1875 for an improvement in flasks (see above) ideal for the