Legal analysis: The approval process for invention patent applications includes five stages: acceptance, preliminary examination, publication, substantive examination and authorization. Utility model or design patent applications do not undergo early publication and substantive examination during the approval process. There are only three stages: acceptance, preliminary examination and authorization.
Legal basis: "Patent Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 3 The patent administration department of the State Council is responsible for managing patent work nationwide; it shall uniformly accept and examine patent applications in accordance with the law. Patent rights granted. The patent management departments of the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government are responsible for patent management within their respective administrative regions.
Article 4 If the invention-creation for which a patent is applied for involves national security or major interests and needs to be kept confidential, it shall be handled in accordance with relevant national regulations. Article 5 No patent right will be granted for inventions and creations that violate the law, social ethics or harm the interests of the public.