diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/media/FrameInterval.java b/src/java/com/threerings/media/FrameInterval.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5dc43f3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/media/FrameInterval.java
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+package com.threerings.media;
+
+import java.awt.Component;
+
+import com.threerings.media.FrameManager;
+import com.threerings.media.FrameParticipant;
+
+public abstract class FrameInterval
+    implements FrameParticipant
+{
+    /**
+     * Constructor - registers the interval as a frame participant
+     */
+    public FrameInterval (FrameManager mgr)
+    {
+        _mgr = mgr;
+    }
+
+    // documentation inhertied from FrameParticipant
+    public Component getComponent ()
+    {
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    // documentation inherited from FrameParticipant
+    public boolean needsPaint ()
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    // documentation inherited from FrameParticipant
+    public void tick (long tickStamp)
+    {
+        if (_nextTime == -1) {
+            // First time through
+            _nextTime = tickStamp + _initDelay;
+        } else if (tickStamp >= _nextTime) {
+
+            // If we're repeating, set the next time to run, otherwise, reset
+            if (_repeatDelay != 0L) {
+                _nextTime += _repeatDelay;
+            } else {
+                _nextTime = -1;
+            }
+            expired();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     *
+     * The main method where your interval should do its work.
+     *
+     */
+    public abstract void expired ();
+
+    /**
+     * Schedule the interval to execute once, after the specified delay.
+     * Supersedes any previous schedule that this Interval may have had.
+     */
+    public final void schedule (long delay)
+    {
+        schedule(delay, 0L);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Schedule the interval to execute repeatedly, with the same delay.
+     * Supersedes any previous schedule that this Interval may have had.
+     */
+    public final void schedule (long delay, boolean repeat)
+    {
+        schedule(delay, repeat ? delay : 0L);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Schedule the interval to execute repeatedly with the specified
+     * initial delay and repeat delay.
+     * Supersedes any previous schedule that this Interval may have had.
+     */
+    public final void schedule (long initialDelay, long repeatDelay)
+    {
+        if (!_mgr.isRegisteredFrameParticipant(this)) {
+            _mgr.registerFrameParticipant(this);
+        }
+
+        _repeatDelay = repeatDelay;
+        _initDelay = initialDelay;
+        _nextTime = -1;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Cancel the current schedule, and ensure that any expirations that
+     * are queued up but have not yet run do not run.
+     */
+    public final void cancel ()
+    {
+        _mgr.removeFrameParticipant(this);
+    }
+
+    /** Time of the next expiration. */
+    protected long _nextTime;
+
+    /** Time between expirations. */
+    protected long _repeatDelay;
+
+    /** Time between expirations. */
+    protected long _initDelay;
+
+    /** The context whose FrameManager we are using. */
+    protected FrameManager _mgr;
+}