According to a patent filed by Apple last month, we may see an unexpected (but welcome) use for the iPhone / iPod Touch: a feature that lets you order drinks at Starbucks, effectively bypassing the bother of having to fall in line.

To show how an application like this could work, multimedia designer Phil Lu made some mockups of how it might look like. He calls the program "QuickOrder" and if the actual app looks anything like his design, it's going to be one more reason to buy an iPhone. In Lu's concept design, he's even included a "QuickPay" application for transaction orders, using a semacode system.

As the patent filing describes, his design records the favorite drinks of the user. The program looks instinctive and user-friendly and even makes room for personal instructions from the user. Enlarge the pics by clicking on them: