source: sipes/libraries/openlayers/examples/filter-strategy.js @ 92f109b

var map, filter, filterStrategy;
var animationTimer;
var currentDate;
var startDate = new Date(1272736800000); // lower bound of when values
var endDate = new Date(1272737100000); // upper value of when values
var step = 8; // sencods to advance each interval
var interval = 0.125; // seconds between each step in the animation

function startAnimation() {
    if (animationTimer) {
        stopAnimation(true);
    }
    if (!currentDate) {
        currentDate = startDate;
    }
    var spanEl = document.getElementById("span");
    var next = function() {
        var span = parseInt(spanEl.value, 10);
        if (currentDate < endDate) {
            filter.lowerBoundary = currentDate;
            filter.upperBoundary = new Date(currentDate.getTime() + (span * 1000));
            filterStrategy.setFilter(filter);
            currentDate = new Date(currentDate.getTime() + (step * 1000));
        } else {
            stopAnimation(true);
        }
    };
    animationTimer = window.setInterval(next, interval * 1000);
}

function stopAnimation(reset) {
    window.clearInterval(animationTimer);
    animationTimer = null;
    if (reset === true) {
        currentDate = null;
    }
}

// add behavior to elements
document.getElementById("start").onclick = startAnimation;
document.getElementById("stop").onclick = stopAnimation;
var spanEl = document.getElementById("span");

var mercator = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:900913");
var geographic = new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326");
map = new OpenLayers.Map("map");

var osm = new OpenLayers.Layer.OSM();

filter = new OpenLayers.Filter.Comparison({
    type: OpenLayers.Filter.Comparison.BETWEEN,
    property: "when",
    lowerBoundary: startDate,
    upperBoundary: new Date(startDate.getTime() + (parseInt(spanEl.value, 10) * 1000))
});

filterStrategy = new OpenLayers.Strategy.Filter({filter: filter});

var flights = new OpenLayers.Layer.Vector("Aircraft Locations", {
    projection: geographic,
    strategies: [new OpenLayers.Strategy.Fixed(), filterStrategy],
    protocol: new OpenLayers.Protocol.HTTP({
        url: "kml-track.kml",
        format: new OpenLayers.Format.KML({
            extractTracks: true
            //,extractStyles: true // use style from KML instead of styleMap below
        })
    }),
    styleMap: new OpenLayers.StyleMap({
        "default": new OpenLayers.Style({
            graphicName: "circle",
            pointRadius: 3,
            fillOpacity: 0.25,
            fillColor: "#ffcc66",
            strokeColor: "#ff9933",
            strokeWidth: 1
        })
    }),
    renderers: ["Canvas", "SVG", "VML"]
});

map.addLayers([osm, flights]);
map.setCenter(new OpenLayers.LonLat(-93.2735, 44.8349).transform(geographic, mercator), 8);