A federal judge in Delaware has pushed Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Inc. a step closer to trial in a case accusing the smartphone makers of infringing a patent on touch screen technology.

Defense lawyers at Greenberg Traurig and Rothwell, Figg Ernst & Manbeck failed last week to deflect allegations by plaintiff FlatWorld Interactives LLC that Samsung and LG infringed a patent related to “throwing” an image from a touch screen by swiping quickly. FlatWorld previously settled parallel claims against Apple Inc. in a suit that sparked awkward revelations regarding a former partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

In the cases against Samsung and LG, U.S. District Judge Leonard Stark mostly sided with FlatWorld's lawyers at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, refusing to find FlatWorld's patent invalid.