Self-cleaning token vault

A method comprising performing by a computer system:

• receiving, over a network communications channel, a token generation request message from a token requestor;
• causing a token to be generated and stored in a token vault managed by the computer system in response to the token generation request message;
• associating an expiration threshold and a level flag having a first level value with the token, wherein the level flag has one of a plurality of level values, wherein a level value indicates a respective set of one or more modifiable rules for managing the token in the token vault;
• storing the level flag having the first level value and the expiration threshold in association with the token as a first entry at the token vault;
• identifying that the token has not expired based on a first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to the first level value of the level flag, wherein applying the first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a store action for the first level value of the token;
• receiving, over the network communications channel, an instruction to modify the first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to the first level value of the level flag;
• modifying the first set of one or more modifiable rules into a modified first set of one or more modifiable rules based on the instruction, wherein applying the modified first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a delete action for the token, thereby removing all elements of the first entry associated with the token from the token vault.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processor configured to execute a set of instructions;
• a memory coupled to the processor for storing the set of instructions;
• and
• the set of instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the set of instructions are executed by the processor, the apparatus operates to:
• receive, over a network communications channel, a token generation request message from a token requestor;
• cause a token to be generated and stored in a token vault in response to the token generation request message;
• associate an expiration threshold and a level flag having a first level value with the token, wherein the level flag has one of a plurality of level values, wherein a level value indicates a respective set of one or more modifiable rules for managing the token in the token vault;
• store the level flag having the first level value and the expiration threshold in association with the token as a first entry at the token vault;
• identify that the token has not expired based on a first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to the first level value of the level flag, wherein applying the first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a store action for the first level value of the token;
• receive, over the network communications channel, an instruction to modify the first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to the first level value of the level flag;
• modify the first set of one or more modifiable rules into a modified first set of one or more modifiable rules based on the instruction, wherein applying the modified first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a delete action for the token, thereby removing all elements of the first entry associated with the token from the token vault.

A method comprising performing by a computer system:

• receiving, over a network communications channel, one or more token generation request messages from one or more token requestors;
• causing a plurality of tokens to be generated and stored in a token vault managed by the computer system in response to the one or more token generation request messages;
• associating an expiration threshold and a level flag having a first level value with each one of the plurality of tokens, wherein the level flag has one of a plurality of level values, wherein a level value indicates a respective set of one or more modifiable rules for managing the token in the token vault;
• storing the level flag having the first level value and the expiration threshold in association with each one of the plurality of tokens as a respective entry at the token vault;
• identifying that a first token has not expired based on a first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to a first level value of the level flag associated with the first token, wherein applying the first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a store action for the first token;
• identifying that a second token has expired based on a second set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to a second level value of the level flag associated with the second token, wherein applying the second set of one or more modifiable rules results in a delete action for the second token, thereby removing all elements of an entry associated with the second token from the token vault;
• receiving, over the network communications channel, an instruction to modify the first set of one or more modifiable rules corresponding to the first level value of the level flag;
• and
• modifying the first set of one or more modifiable rules into a modified first set of one or more modifiable rules based on the instruction, wherein applying the modified first set of one or more modifiable rules results in a delete action for the first token, thereby removing all elements of the entry associated with the first token from the token vault.