User interface and method for managing a user interface state between a locked state and an unlocked state

A user interface for an electronic device comprising:

• a touch sensitive display having a display surface, the touch sensitive display being adapted for presenting to a user at a respective position at least one display element along the display surface, and the touch sensitive display being further adapted for receiving from the user a user interaction with the touch sensitive display at a location along the display surface;
• a controller including
• a user interface state module having an unlocked state and a locked state adapted for selectively enabling and disabling at least a portion of the user interface, wherein the portion of the user interface responds to a predetermined type of user interaction when in the unlocked state and does not respond to the predetermined type of user interaction when in the locked state;
• a state change module adapted for switching the state of the user interface state module between the locked state and the unlocked state, wherein the state change module switches the state of the user interface module from the locked state to the unlocked state when the state change module detects each of the at least one display elements in a respective unlock position of the corresponding one of the at least one display elements, the state change module including an unlock area detector, where the respective unlock position of the corresponding one of the at least one display element includes placement within a respective predetermined area, and wherein when the state change module switches the state of the user interface state module to a locked state, the state change module is adapted to respectively reposition each of the at least one display element to an area of the display surface other than the respective predetermined area of the respective unlock position;
• and
• a lock state interface module, said lock state interface module being adapted to detect a received user interaction including the selection by the user of one of the at least one display elements, and being further adapted to detect a further received user interaction including a postselection gesture, which moves the selected one of the at least one display element from a preselection position to a postgesture position having a placement in a new area, wherein the postselection gesture includes a path which is traced proximate the display surface of the touch sensitive display by the user using a pointer having a position that moves along the path, the lock state interface module including a path analyzer unit having an avoid area detector, where if a current position of the pointer along the traced path coincides with an avoid area of the display surface, the display element is returned to the preselection position of the display element;
• and
• wherein the at least one display element has a respective outer boundary, which extends around an outer periphery of the corresponding one of the at least one display element, wherein a sub-segment of the outer boundary is associated with a protection barrier, where the protection barrier extends around a portion of the outer boundary a distance, which is less than a full length of the outer boundary;
• and wherein interaction of the protection barrier and the avoid area causes the avoid area to recede proximate the protection barrier.