In what marked the latest development in the Apple-Samsung legal scuffle, Samsung has filed new claims against Apple, in Germany, alleging that four of the South Korean company's patents had been violated by the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker.

Disclosing the information about its latest filing against Apple, Samsung said that the December 16-filed claims - which were filed with Germany's Mannheim Regional Court - cover the alleged violation of the patents pertaining to Samsung's telecommunications standard technology and user interface.

Specifying that it is particularly the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPad 2 that have violated Samsung's patents, a company spokesman said that the infringement on the part of Apple involved emoticons as well as a mechanism linked to speech output data displayed on mobile handsets.

The developments in the Apple/Samsung legal battle in Germany have come close on the heels of Samsung's last-month statement that it intends launching a edition of its Galaxy tablet device in the country, after a court ruling that banned the company from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the largest European economy on the grounds that the tablet had copied the Apple iPad.

In addition, the filing of new claims by Samsung in Germany also come within weeks of a series of its wins against Apple in the US as well as Australia; thereby getting the permission to sell its Galaxy products in both the markets during the crucial holiday sales season.