You can use strings to represent relative times:
&filter[fields][create_ts]=[NOW-5HOURS%20TO%20NOW]
or exact timestamps:
&filter[fields][create_ts]=[2011-06-01T05:00:00.00Z%20TO%202011-06-02T07:00:00.00Z]
or both:
&filter[fields][create_ts]=[2011-06-01T05:00:00.00Z%20TO%20NOW]