PATENTS ACT 1977 A10921GB DJL/MDH Title: Apparatus for Analysing a Fluid Description of Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for analysing a fluid, particularly but not exclusively urine.Urine and other bodily fluids are routinely analysed by doctors and other healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of illnesses. Current methods for analysing urine require a patient to fill a container with urine, close the container with a lid and give the container to a healthcare professional to analyse. The healthcare professional then has to remove the lid and introduce a test strip, commonly known as a urinalysis dipstick. Dipsticks are used in a wide range of analysing and screening applications, and consist of a strip of paper or plastics material to which are attached a plurality of test components impregnated with chemical reagents.The reagents may react with particular components of the urine, causing the test components to change colour to indicate, for example, clinical conditions such as diabetes, urinary tract infections or pregnancy, or the presence of illicit drugs. The dipstick is withdrawn from the urine and compared to a label or key, to indicate the significance of any colour change in the test components.This method gives rise to a number of problems. Urine can drip or spill when the container is opened or when the dipstick is introduced or withdrawn; urine may land on clinical surfaces, or on the hands or clothing of the healthcare professional handling the container. This is unhygienic and may lead to cross infection of patients and staff.In addition to these problems, this method relies upon the introduction of a foreign body (the dipstick) into the urine. The dipstick may be contaminated, which could lead to inconclusive or misleading results, possibly resulting in a delay to diagnosis, or misdiagnosis of a condition.A further disadvantage of analysing urine using this method is that it is time-consuming.According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for use in analysing a fluid including a container having a chamber and an opening through which a fluid to be analysed can be introduced into the chamber, there being a reagent in the container, a removable closure member for closing the opening, a seal for preventing contact between the fluid and the reagent, and a device which is operable to rupture the seal without removal of the closure member to permit of contact between the fluid and the reagent, wherein at least a portion of the container is transparent to permit of observation of the result of a reaction between a component of the fluid and the reagent.In one embodiment, the container may have a further chamber in which the reagent is contained, which further chamber may be adjacent the chamber in which the fluid is contained. For example, the container may include a wall dividing its internal space into a chamber for containing the fluid and the further chamber, and the seal may cover an open end of the further chamber, which may be adjacent the opening of the fluid containing chamber.The removable closure member may include the device which is operable to rupture the seal. For example, the device which is operable to rupture the seal may include a formation protruding from a part of the closure member which is movable into a position adjacent the seal.At least part of the removable closure member may be deformable to permit of movement of the protruding formation into engagement with the seal, thus to rupture the seal.Thus the seal may be a penetrable or frangible membrane, such as a foil of metal, plastics or another thin suitable material.The closure member may be a lid having a screw thread formed on an inner surface thereof engageable with a complementary thread formed on an outer surface of the container.The apparatus may be for testing urine, in which case the reagent may be a urinalysis dipstick having at least one test component impregnated with a reagent which reacts with a particular component which may be present in the urine. The dipstick may be loose within the further chamber in the container, or attached to an inner surface of the further chamber.A label may be provided on an outer surface of the container, the label carrying a key explaining the significance of any colour change in the reagent when it comes into contact with urine, and with space for patient information such as the patient's name, doctor and the like.In another embodiment, the lid may be substantially rigid and may be rotatable to a position in which the container is closed and the downwardly protruding formation is out of engagement with the seal, and further rotatable to cause the downwardly protruding formation to engage with the seal, thus to rupture it. A removable or frangible stop may be provided to prevent the lid from being rotated past the position where the container is closed and the downwardly protruding formation is out of engagement with the seal.According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of analysing a fluid in a container containing the fluid and a reagent which is separated from the fluid by a seal, and with the container closed with a closure member, the method including the steps of receiving the closed container, with the container remaining closed rupturing the seal, with the container still remaining closed, causing the fluid to come into contact with the reagent, and observing the result of a reaction between a component of the fluid and the reagent.Specific and non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of an apparatus for use in analysing a fluid according to the present invention including a container, a closure member and a fluid-sensitive reagent strip. FIGURE 2 shows a section through the container of Figure 1. FIGURE 3 shows a view from above the container of Figure 1. FIGURE 4 shows a section through the closure member of Figure 1.Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a generally tubular container 10 made of a transparent plastics material for holding urine to be analysed. The container 10 includes a wall 13 which divides its internal space into a chamber 11 having an upper opening 16 through which the urine can be introduced into the chamber 11, and a further chamber 12 having an upper opening 15 which is covered by a foil seal 14. A urinalysis dipstick 30 (shown separately for clarity) having a plurality of test components 31, each impregnated with chemical reagents, is disposed loosely within the second chamber 12. A portion of the container shown generally at 18 is flattened to permit the dipstick 30 to be viewed without visual distortion which may otherwise be caused by viewing through a curved outer wall of the container 10.One or more labels (not shown) carrying a key explaining the significance of any colour change of any of the test components 31 of the dipstick 30 when they come into contact with urine, and with space for patient information such as the patient's name, doctor and the like, are attached to an outer surface of the outer wall of the container 10. A conical formation 17 is provided at a lower end of the container 10 in which sediment in the urine is able to settle. Formed on an upper part 16 of an outer surface of the container 10 is a screw thread 19, which engages with a complementary screw thread 21 on an inner surface of a closure member 20, which is a lid, to attach the lid securely to the container.Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown a lid 20 for closing the container 10. Formed on an inner surface of the lid is a screw thread 21 which engages the screw thread 19 on the outer surface of the container 10 to attach the lid 20 to the container 10. Protruding downwardly from a top portion 22 of the lid 20 is a generally trapezoidal formation 23. The top portion 22 of the lid 20 is resiliently deformable, such that, when the lid 20 is attached to the container 10 such that the downwardly protruding formation 23 is adjacent the foil seal 14, downward pressure applied to the top portion 22 of the lid 20, for example by pressing on the top of the lid 20 with a thumb, causes the top portion 22 of the lid 20 to deform inwardly towards an interior of the container 10.This causes the downwardly protruding formation to move 23 downwards to a position in which it ruptures the foil seal 14. When the downward pressure is released, the top portion 22 of the lid 20 reverts to its undeformed shape, causing the downwardly protruding formation 23 to moves upwards, Thus, a path is established by which the urine can move from the chamber 11 over the wall 13 and through the ruptured seal 14 into the further chamber 12, where it can come into contact with the dipstick 30.To use the apparatus of the present invention, the lid 20 is removed and a patient introduces a urine sample into the first chamber 11 through opening 16. The patient attaches the lid 20 onto the container 10 and rotates the lid 20 to a first position, where the container 10 is closed and the downwardly protruding formation 23 is not adjacent the foil seal 14, and gives the apparatus to a doctor or other healthcare professional. The doctor or other healthcare professional rotates the lid 20 to a second position in which the downwardly protuding formation 23 is adjacent the foil seal 14, and presses down on the top portion 22 of the lid 20 with a finger or thumb, causing the seal 14 covering opening 15 to be ruptured by the downwardly protruding formation 23.The doctor or other healthcare professional then inverts or shakes the apparatus, thus causing some of the urine contained in the chamber 11 to pass over the wall 13 and through the ruptured foil seal 14 into the further chamber 12, where it comes into contact with the test strip 30. The chemical reagents in the test components 31 may react with particular components of the urine, causing one or more of the test components to change colour.The doctor or other healthcare professional then visually compares the colour of the test components to the key provided on the label attached to the outer surface of the container, to assess the significance of any colour change in the test components.In another embodiment of the present invention, the lid 20 may be substantially rigid, such that pressure applied to the top portion 22 of the lid 20 does not cause the top portion 22 of the lid 20 substantially to deform. In this embodiment, by virtue of the screw threads 21, 19 of the lid 20 and container 10 or otherwise, when the lid 20 is attached to the container 10 the lid 20 is rotatable to a position in which the downwardly protruding formation 23 does not engage the seal 14. In this position, the container 10 is closed and a lower portion of the lid 20 abuts a removable or frangible stop means thus preventing further rotation of the lid 20. Removing or breaking the stop means allows the lid 20 to rotate, causing a downwardly protruding formation (similar to the formation 23) to engage with the seal 14, to rupture it.Although the present invention has been described in relation to analysing urine, it will be appreciated that the apparatus and method described is equally suitable for other applications, for example analysing other bodily fluids, or assessing the level of pollution in river water.The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.