Package sez TP roll has "x" sheets. Set the odometer for that number and when you use all but the final 100, a beeper alarm goes off to warn you to buy more. My latest Brita water filter refill kit came with a counter that tells you when to replace the used filter.
-- bobzaguy, May 14 2001

I thought it was an odometer to measure how many miles of toilet paper you used in your life.
-- Amishman35, May 15 2001


now that would be useful... "you don't know all the sh** I've been through ..."
-- futurebird, Jul 10 2001


'through me', you mean.
-- StarChaser, Jul 12 2001


An odometer might work for something like a car tire which maintains (relatively) its diameter. But as you pull TP off the roll, the ratio of TP in hand to number of rotations is decreasing. I would think it would have to be calibrated for a specific manufacturer and ply type in order to work.
-- georgie, Jan 24 2002


You could solve that problem by running the paper across a second roll which just gets spun as a side effect of rolling, but doesn't change shape. (I think that's what they do when they measure feet of rope in the store, too.)
-- jutta, Jan 26 2002


Not that I personally see any need for this product, but I do think it would be fun to have.
-- tchaikovsky, Feb 23 2004


It should also keep track of "average sheets per sh;t", and have 3 memories (one for each person in the family).
-- phundug, Feb 23 2004



random, halfbakery