A confidential patent application refers to an application for a patent for invention or utility model that involves significant interests other than national security or national defense interests and needs to be kept confidential.
National defense patent applications are accepted and reviewed by the National Defense Intellectual Property Office, and patent applications involving national defense interests that need to be kept confidential accepted by China National Intellectual Property Administration are transferred to the National Defense Intellectual Property Office for review; China National Intellectual Property Administration receives and examines confidential patent applications.