A U.S. district court on Thursday (local time) dismissed Apple Inc.'s request to ban sales of rival Samsung Electronics Co.'s smart devices, a ruling viewed as more symbolic for the heated patent battle than business loss. Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court for Northern California rejected an attempt by Apple to prohibit sales of 23 smartphones and tablet PCs, such as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, officials here and local reports said Friday.