An apparatus and method for automatically collecting urine samples from a patient are described. The apparatus includes a toilet bowel with a reservoir and a urine collection receptacle that is a flexible heat sealable plastic bag in an enclosure mounted exterior to the reservoir. The receptacle can be rotated into the toilet reservoir to collect urine and removed therefrom by rotating it back into the enclosure. The opening to the bag is then heat sealed to produce a urine sample packet. The receptacle may be automatically divided into a plurality of urine sample packets by heat sealing the bag at several locations along its length and then cutting the bag at the appropriate heat sealed locations. Each packet is then printed with patient indicia. The sample packets then pass through an opening in the enclosure for removal and subsequent analysis. An electrical activation interface is provided to control the process.
