In an evident attempt to foil Samsung's plans to sell its Galaxy S III smartphone in the US, Apple Thursday requested U. S. District Judge Lucy Koh to block the South Korean company's June 21-scheduled unveiling of its new handset in the country.

With Apple attorney Josh Krevitt informing Judge Koh that the US unveiling of Galaxy S III smartphone - which comes before Apple announces it much-rumored next-generation iPhone - would "irreparably harm" Apple, the latest move by the Cupertino-based company further escalates its ongoing smartphone scuffle with rival Samsung.

Judge Koh - who has been presiding over the legal face-off between Apple and Samsung since early this year - did not rule Thursday on Apple's bid to prevent the US sales of Galaxy S III. She indicated that she required more details on the handset in question.

However, since Apple has already been claiming that Samsung's Galaxy line-up of handsets and tablets "slavishly" copy the technology in the iPhone and iPad, Krevitt said that the company would now seek a temporary restraining order so that the release of the Galaxy S III in the US is blocked immediately.

About Galaxy S III in particular, Apple said in a recent filing that, after obtaining the Galaxy S III sold in the UK, it has found that the handset infringes on two of its patents - U. S. Patent No. 5,946,647 and No. 8,086,604 - which respectively pertain to "links for structures" in computer-generated data and an interface for "unified search."