Friday's ruling by US District Court Judge Lucy Koh was the second victory for California-based Apple this week in a fierce and complex patent war with the South Korean consumer electronics giant.

On Tuesday, the same judge barred the sale of Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, saying that Apple had presented "a strong case" for the injunction.

Both Galaxy devices are powered by Android operating software that Google makes available for free to gadget makers, and Nexus is the Mountain View, California-based technology company's own branded line.

In a lengthy written ruling granting an injunction to block Galaxy Nexus sales until the patent case is resolved, Koh wrote that "in sum, Apple has shown a likelihood of establishing both infringement and validity."

The statement indicated that the judge felt Apple had a strong case showing that the patents at issue are valid and that Samsung had misused the technology.