The potential effect of Apple’s overwhelmingly triumph in its high-profile patent-infringement case with smartphone-market rival Samsung may likely be delayed because of the fact that a December 6 date has recently been set, by US District Judge Lucy Koh, for hearing Apple’s request for a permanent injunction against Samsung’s devices.

With Apple having recently identified as many as eight Samsung devices against which it intends seeking preliminary injunctions from the court, and may also probably file for a permanent ban, it is not certain whether the issue will be addressed at the September 20-scheduled hearing about preliminary injunctions.

The likelihood of the issue being moved to a December 6 hearing stems from the fact that Judge Koh said, in a Tuesday order, that the scope of the preliminary injunction request by Apple was so wide that it apparently would be “appropriate” to consolidate the different post-trial motions.

As such, going by the recent indications, the hearing on September 20 will largely be confined to Samsung's request for the suspension of a sales ban against its Galaxy Tab 10.1 --- a request which pertains to that portion of the Apple-Samsung lawsuit with which the jury sided with Samsung.

Since it will chiefly be Samsung’s request which will addressed at the September hearing, Judge Koh said on Tuesday that Apple's permanent injunction request will be considered at the December 6 hearing, after detailed legal arguments have been duly filed by the attorneys.