A US appeals court on Wednesday temporarily lifted a sales ban on two new models of Apple Watch imposed by the US International Trade Commission over a patent dispute.

In September, the tech giant rolled out the "Series 9" and "Ultra 2" smartwatches with technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. The ITC said the feature infringes patents owned by US medical equipment firm Masimo.

The sales ban went into force on Tuesday. Apple filed an emergency request with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ITC order.

While Apple can resume sales of the smartwatches for now, observers say there could be a negative impact on Apple's performance if the dispute is prolonged.