The sales ban was placed on the phone by a lower court that had agreed with Apple's contention that the design of Galaxy Nexus infringed on patents owned by Apple.

Samsung is appealing the ban. The court hearing that appeal--the U.S. Court of Appeals--has blocked the ban temporarily. That court decided on Monday to allow that stay on the ban to continue while it mulls over Samsung's appeal. An August 20 hearing has been scheduled by the appeals court to hear Samsung's arguments for blocking the ban.

The ban stems from a lawsuit Apple filed against Samsung in February 2012. That action is separate from the larger patent lawsuit between the two companies that .

How long the appeals court will allow its temporary block on the ban to remain in effect is , according to intellectual property analyst Florian Mueller.