Patent ID: 8628374

Claim:
An expandable toy building element being interconnectable with one or more other toy building elements; the expandable toy building element comprising: one or more coupling connectors adapted to interconnect the expandable toy building element with the one or more other toy building elements, wherein the one or more coupling connectors are each independently selected from a stud and a recess shaped to releasably couple with the stud; wherein the stud is adapted to releasably couple with a complimentary recess on the one or more other toy building elements and the recess is adapted to releasably couple with a complimentary stud on the one or more other toy building elements; a first end component, the first end component being hollow and having an open end so as to define a first internal cavity; a second end component, the second end component being hollow and having an open end so as to define a second internal cavity; and a translation element, the translation element acting to expandably connect the first end component to the second end component; wherein the expandable toy building element is expandable between a compact position and at least one expanded position, wherein when the expandable toy building element is in the compact position, the open end of the first end component abuts the open end of the second end component such that the translation element is completely enclosed within the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity; and wherein when the expandable toy building element is in the at least one expanded position, the open end of the first end component is separated from the open end of the second end component, so as to at least partially expose the translation element from each of the first internal cavity and second internal cavity; and wherein the expandable toy building element is interconnectable with the one or more other toy building elements when the expandable toy building element is in at least one of the compact position and the at least one expanded position.