美国的专利申请数量虽然在衰退期间有所下降，但是在之前十年已经翻了一番。

American patent applications tailed off during the recession, but only after doubling in the decade before.

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在此方面，日本所采取的某些手段仍稍稍领先于美国，尽管日本专利申请的步伐还很缓慢。

In that area, Japan is still slightly ahead of the United States by some measures, though Japan's patent filing pace is slowing.

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该方案已经向美国申请了专利，并将会在近期通过，虽然在这个方案中，如何冷却水仍然是尚待解决的问题。

A patent application is pending and the scheme may soon be approved in the U. S., though cooling the water may be the least of the problems associated with the idea.

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