Apple has filed a patent application for a system allowing customers to place orders wirelessly at cafes and restaurants without waiting in line.

U.S. Patent Application 20070291710, filed on December 20th, allows a customer who places an order while on the way to the restaurant to receive a confirmation that the order has been received and an estimate of when it will be available.

"But the system would also have benefits to restaurant owners beyond providing better service," notes InformationWeek's Antone Gonsalves. "Each customer using the system would get a unique identifier for tracking the establishments they visited and what they bought. The information would be stored in the devices and synchronized with the computers of participating merchants."

"Apple and Starbucks seem to be happy bed buddies; imagine loading a Starbucks application on your iPhone or iTouch that allows you to order your triple shot espresso and grande caramel macchiato before you even get to the Starbucks location," writes MAC.BLORGE.com's Triston McIntyre. "Then imagine passing by the line and picking up your specified item in front of all the rest of the waiting caffeine-aholics..."

More here from Forbes ... more here from CBC News ... more here from StreetInsider ... more here from Ars Technica ... more here from BloggingStocks ... more here from MacRumors ... and more here from Switched.