Samsung has vowed to fight Apple and its attempts to ban the sale of its Galaxy S3 smartphone in the US.

Apple is trying to stop sales of the Samsung Galaxy S3 by hitching the highly rated new Android smartphone to its existing case against the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Samsung opposes Apple's attempt to link the motions together.

Samsung Galaxy S3 review

Samsung Galaxy S3 video review

Apple claims the Galaxy S3 infringes at least two of its patents.

See also: Apple, Samsung solidify top spots in smartphone market

"The Galaxy S3 will... irreparably harm Apple for the same reasons as the Galaxy Nexus, but on a much greater scale," said Apple lawyer Mark Lyon.

"The central premise of Samsung's opposition to Apple's motion for a preliminary injunction was that the Galaxy Nexus had not sold sufficiently well to cause severe enough harm to Apple.

“While that argument is legally and factually untenable, it is entire inapplicable with respect to the Galaxy S3, which reportedly will sell phenomenally well immediately upon launch."

Samsung denies the accusation, and has promised its customers that the launch would proceed as planned on June 21.

Samsung dismissed Apple’s request as "without merit".

Any ban "would only serve to disrupt consumers' access to the latest innovative technology," pleaded the Korean tech giant.

"We will vigorously oppose the request and demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S3 is innovative and distinctive," said Samsung.

"We would also like to assure consumers that the US launch and sales of the Galaxy S III will proceed as planned."

See also: Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 4S comparison review

Patents Apple alleges Samsung has infringed

The patents defended by the iPhone maker are US Patent No. 8,086,604 relating to an universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system, and Patent No. 5,946,647 regarding a system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data.

Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system:

“The present invention provides convenient access to items of information that are related to various descriptors input by a user, by means of a unitary interface which is capable of accessing information in a variety of locations, through a number of different techniques. Using a plurality of heuristic algorithms to operate upon information descriptors input by the user, the present invention locates and displays candidate items of information for selection and/or retrieval. Thus, the advantages of a search engine can be exploited, while listing only relevant object candidate items of information.“

System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data:

“A system and method causes a computer to detect and perform actions on structures identified in computer data. The system provides an analyzer server, an application program interface, a user interface and an action processor. The analyzer server receives from an application running concurrently data having recognizable structures, uses a pattern analysis unit, such as a parser or fast string search function, to detect structures in the data, and links relevant actions to the detected structures. The application program interface communicates with the application running concurrently, and transmits relevant information to the user interface. Thus, the user interface can present and enable selection of the detected structures, and upon selection of a detected structure, present the linked candidate actions. Upon selection of an action, the action processor performs the action on the detected structure.“

Samsung Galaxy S3 release dates

The smartphone was launched in May in the UK.

Samsung said earlier this month that the Galaxy S III will be available in the US starting this month from five carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular.