Determination of conference participant contribution

A method for determining a participant's status during a conference, the method comprising:

• identifying by a conferencing server a participant and topics on which the participant comments based on data entries by the participant in a participant device assigned to the participant;
• identifying, by a natural language processing (NLP) processor in communication with the conference server, the participant and topics on which the participant comments based on the participant's speech;
• storing one or both of the participant's speech and the participant's data entries in a topics database that is in communication with the conference server;
• determining, by utilizing a ranking engine in communication with the topics database, one or both of (a) whether a participant was an originator of an idea, and (b) the participant's relative rank in contribution to a topic based on analyzing the content and length of one or both of the participant's speech or data entries;
• and
• the conference server identifying inconsistencies in the ranking engine identifying the originator of a topic,
• wherein the inconsistencies include stated ownership of the idea by participants other than the originator of the idea.

A conferencing system for determining a participant's status during a conference, the conferencing system comprising:

• a tangible, non-transitory memory configured to communicate with a conference server, wherein the tangible, non-transitory memory comprises instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the conference server, cause the conference server to at least identify a participant and topics on which the participant comments based on data entries by the participant in a participant device assigned to the participant;
• one or more participant devices in communication with the conference server, wherein each of the one or more participant devices is assigned to a unique participant and the one or more participant devices includes the participant device assigned to the participant;
• a natural language processing (NLP) processor in communication with the conference server, wherein the NLP processor is configured to identify the participant and topics on which the participant comments based on the participant's speech;
• a topics database in communication with the conference server and the NLP processor, wherein the topics database stores one or both of the participant's speech and the participant's data entries made during the conference;
• and
• a ranking engine in communication with the topics database, wherein the ranking engine is configured to identify which participant was the originator of an idea;
• wherein one or both of the conference server and the NLP processor are further configured to filter out false positive comments about the topic.